THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


WHICH 


A  STORY  OF   SOCIAL   CONDITIONS 


BY 

MARY    H.    FORD 


BOSTON  MDCCCXCI 
LEE    AND    SHEPARD    PUBLISHERS 

10  MILK  STREET  NEXT  "THE  OLD   SOUTH  MEETING  HOUSE" 

NEW  YORK  CHAS.  T.  DILLINGIIAM 
718  AND  720  BROADWAY 


COPYRIGHT,  1891,  BY  LEE  AND  SHEPARD 


All  rights  reserved 


WHICH    WINS? 


PS 


THIS  VOLUME  IS  DEDICATED  TO  THE 

FAKMEKS'    ALLIANCE 

the  members  of  which,  although  busy  toilers, 
have  become,  what  the  greatest  men  have 
always  been,  both  toilers  and  thinkers,  as  a 
slight  testimonial  of  the  Author's  respect  and 
sympathy  for  the  aims  and  achievements  of 
that  great  organization. 


1458886 


PREFACE 


SINCE  Wagner  wrote  his  great  opera  of  Parsifal,  it  is, 
perhaps,  unnecessary  to  remind  the  reader  of  the  follow- 
ing story,  that  at  least  one  romance  of  the  Holy  Grail 
is  a  study  of  spiritual  development.  Wolfram  von 
Eschenbach,  who  wrote  his  great  epic  of  Parzifal  in  the 
first  quarter  of  the  thirteenth  century,  was  the  only  one 
of  the  early  Grail  poets  who  seemed  to  feel  the  need  of 
any  qualities  save  those  of  strength  and  bravery  —  and 
later  a  sort  of  pre-natal  purity  —  in  the  winner  of  the 
mystic  cup.  But  to  Wolfram,  success  in  the  strange, 
unearthly  quest  to  which  so  many  heroes  of  early  chiv- 
alry were  dedicated,  depended  first  and  foremost  upon 
the  enlightenment  of  soul  and  fearlessness  of  spirit, 
which  must  grow  in  any  man  who  spends  years  in 
a  pursuit  bringing  into  action  the  highest  faculties 
of  his  being.  Many  critics,  therefore,  call  Wolfram's 
Parzifal  the  Faust  of  the  Middle  Ages,  and  it  is  well 
worthy  of  such  a  title.  Richard  Wagner  felt  deeply  the 
poetically  spiritual  charm  of  the  old  poem,  and  when 
writing  his  great  opera  of  Parsifal,  embodied  in  it  the 
grand  conception  of  the  doughty  minnesinger,  that  the 
first  quest  of  a  human  being  should  be  spiritual  enlight- 


4  PREFACE 

enment  and  perfection,  and  that  to  this  all  mundane 
things  should  bend. 

It  seems  strange  that  the  poet  who  lived  centuries  ago 
should  find  his  perfect  musical  translator  in  a  musician 
of  the  nineteenth  century,  yet  in  the  passion  of  mate- 
rial progress,  to  which  our  era  is  dedicated,  there  are 
many  men  like  Parsifal,  whose  eyes  turn  inward,  who 
feel  the  sufferings  of  others  so  vividly  that  they  are  will- 
ing to  turn  their  backs  upon  worldly  prosperity,  and 
sacrifice  all  personal  profit  for  the  good  of  their  fellow- 
creatures.  With  such  men  lies  the  possibility  of  the 
race  for  real  reform,  and  they  represent  a  proportion  of 
humanity  much  larger  now  than  in  the  thirteenth  cen- 
tury, spite  of  the  menacing  frequency  with  which  mil- 
lionnaires  and  "  trusts  "  are  counted  in  our  civilization. 

It  has  been  the  fate  of  the  author  to  learn  a  great  deal 
of  the  struggles  of  those  whose  destiny  is  not  the  happi- 
est in  these  wild  present  days  of  ours ;  and  it  is  with  the 
hope  that  the  lives  of  our  "  Parsifals  "  may  not  be  quite 
without  avail,  that  the  forthcoming  story  is  given  to  the 
world. 

THE  AUTHOR. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.    A  SUDDEN  DEPARTURE 7 

II.    Is  IT  LOVE  OR  SOCIALISM  ? 11 

III.  A  STUDY  OF  CONTRASTS 16 

IV.  MRS.  THURSTON'S  VIEWS 23 

V.    MRS.  THURSTON  AND  THE  FARM 39 

VI.    THE  STRUGGLE  FOR  EXISTENCE 47 

VII.    A  PEEP  AT  NEW  YORK 61 

VIII.    WATSON  ON  THE  LAND  QUESTION 70 

IX.    WHAT  HAPPENS  WHEN  THE  BANK  FAILS     .    .  80 

X.    How  THEY  FALL  IN  LOVE  IN  NEW  YORK  .    .  93 

XL    DEBT  AND  DISAPPOINTMENT 101 

XII.    WARD'S  VISIT  AND  His  OPINIONS 109 

XIII.  THE  RICH  MAN'S  FRIENDSHIP 120 

XIV.  MAGGIE  DECIDES  TO  GO  INTO  BUSINESS  .    .    .  125 
XV.    WOOING  AND  WAITING 131 

XVI.    THE  SHADOW  FALLS 139 

XVII.    MRS.  THURSTON'S  DEATH 152 

XVIII.    A  NEW  ATMOSPHERE 162 

XIX.    JOHN  LEARNS  SOMETHING  OF  BUSINESS  .    .    .  167 

XX.    WATSON  ARRIVES  IN  KANSAS  CITY     ....  177 
XXI.    KATHERINE    GETS    ACQUAINTED    WITH    HER 

HUSBAND 181 

XXII.    EOSE  AS  A  HOUSEKEEPER 194 

XXIII.  WATSON  AND  THE  NEW  PARTY 201 

XXIV.  THE  DICTUM  OF  A  CAPITALIST 209 

XXV.    A  TALK  WITH  A  LABORING  MAN 221 

5 


CONTENTS 


XXVI.    KATHERINE  OPENS  HEB  HEAKT 227 

XXVII.    MAGGIE  FALLS  IN  LOVE 239 

XXVIII.    A  NEW  KIND  OF  POLITICS 247 

XXIX.    A  DEMOCRATIC  PRIMARY 261 

XXX.    AN  UNEXPECTED  DISMISSAL 272 

XXXI.  A  WEDDING  IN  THE  WATSON  FAMILY     ...  278 

XXXII.    A  LABOR  UNION  MEETING 288 

XXXIII.  THE  BEGINNING  OR  THE  END  ? 301 

XXXIV.  A  FITTING  CONCLUSION  ....  .310 


WHICH   WINS 


CHAPTEE   I 

A    SUDDEN    DEPARTURE 

IT  was  a  bright,  breezy  morning,  and  the  dock  at 
Hamburg  was  thronged  with  a  noisy  concourse  of  people, 
as  one  of  the  large  steamers  was  about  to  sail  for  Amer- 
ica, and  crowds  of  emigrants,  hurrying  about,  bidding 
farewell,  were  setting  sail  for  the  distant  El  Dorado, 
whence,  if  they  were  prospered,  they  hoped  to  send  the 
wherewithal  to  transport  some  hundreds  of  the  anxious 
friends  and  relatives  with  whom  they  now  clasped  hands 
and  cried,  "  Auf  wiedersehen  !  " 

Amid  the  eager,  bustling  throng,  a  young  man  sat 
quietly  upon  a  little  steamer-trunk,  surrounded  by  a 
small  mountain  of  "traps"  of  various  descriptions,  over 
which  he  seemed  to  be  keeping  a  very  careless  watch, 
so  intent  was  he  upon  the  mass  of  humanity  surrounding 
him.  He  appeared  especially  interested  in  the  fortunes 
of  a  young  couple  near  him,  who  could  not  make  up 
their  minds  to  separate,  though  the  moment  was  rapidly 
approaching  when  they  must  say  farewell.  The  young 
man  was  to  seek  his  fortune  in  the  New  World,  the 
maiden  to  keep  faith  in  the  Old ;  and  as  the  traveller 
watched  the  two,  repeating  the  romance  of  an  ever- 
recurring  tragedy,  he  forgot  himself  and  his  own  swiftly 
nearing  departure.  He  was  recalled  to  consciousness  by 
a  sounding  slap  upon  his  shoulder. 
7 


8  WHICH  WINS 

"  Hallo,  Parsifal !  What  are  you  doing  here  ?  Going 
off  ?  I  didn't  see  your  name  on  the  steamer's  register. 
I  thought  you  had  sailed  already." 

The  young  man  thus  addressed  looked  up  with  a  start, 
and  a  slight  flush. 

"Why,  Ward,"  he  replied,  "how  you  do  startle  a 
fellow !  You  don't  mean  to  say  you  sail  on  the  Cam- 
bria ?  " 

"Certainly,"  responded  the  new-comer.  "You  are 
not  very  happy  over  the  prospect  of  my  company,  it 
seems.  What  took  you  away  from  Berlin  so  suddenly  ?  " 

The  hero  of  the  trunk  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"Business,"  he  responded  briefly.  "Say,  Ward,"  he 
added  with  a  glance  of  some  annoyance  at  his  compan- 
ion, "  you'll  probably  be  surprised  to  learn  why  my  name 
was  not  on  the  steamer  list." 

"  How  is  that  ? "  replied  his  companion,  with  an  in- 
tonation indicative  of  some  interest. 

"  I'm  going  in  the  steerage,"  said  the  other  briefly. 

Stephen  Ward  looked  at  his  companion  an  instant 
with  an  expression  of  boundless  astonishment.  John 
Thurston,  for  that  was  the  name  of  the  person  addressed 
as  "Parsifal,"  was  a  man  whom  any  one  would  have 
called  unusually  well  endowed  in  the  matter  of  looks. 
Tall  and  finely  formed,  he  had  a  beautiful  head  covered 
with  fair  curly  hair  closely  cut.  Large  dark  eyes,  wide 
open  like  Shelley's,  a  broad,  intellectual  forehead,  long, 
delicate  hands,  he  made  a  tout  ensemble  rather  striking 
than  otherwise.  He  was  always  careless  in  his  dress, 
and  appeared  rather  more  so  than  usual  at  the  moment, 
for  he  had  added  a  dark  flannel  shirt  to  his  toilet, 
evidently  in  preparation  for  his  steerage  passage. 

"  What  are  you  going  in  the  steerage  for,  I  should 
like  to  know  ?  "  asked  Ward,  repressing  his  surprise  as 
much  as  possible,  for  fear  of  offending  his  friend. 


A  STRANGE  EXPLANATION  9 

"  Why  not  I  as  well  as  all  these  ?  "  asked  Thurston, 
with  an  eloquent  gesture  toward  the  crowd  about  them. 

"  Oh,  come  now,  Thurston,  a  man  doesn't  usually  go 
in  the  steerage  when  he  can  pay  his  passage  somewhere 
else,"  began  Ward. 

"But  I  can't  pay  my  passage  anywhere  else,"  replied 
Thurston  coolly.  "I've  lost  everything,  —  my  income, 
and  the  principal  it  came  from." 

This  time  his  companion  could  not  subdue  a  low  ejac- 
ulation of  surprise.  "  Why,  old  fellow,  isn't  that  very 
sudden  ?  "  he  exclaimed.  "  How  did  it  happen  ?  " 

"  Oh,  gambling ! "  replied  Thurston,  with  a  gesture 
which  indicated  that  he  did  not  care  to  pursue  the  sub- 
ject any  farther.  "  I  played  for  a  high  stake,  and  lost, 
that's  all."  So  saying,  he  gathered  up  his  satchels  and 
bundles,  and,  signing  to  a  small  boy  who  stood  near  to 
assist  him,  began  transferring  his  baggage  to  the  deck 
of  the  steamer. 

Ward,  meanwhile,  stood  gazing  after  him  with  an 
expression  of  stupefaction.  John  Thurston's  course  at 
Berlin  had  been  peculiar.  A  precocious  graduate  from 
Harvard,  he  had  gone  over  to  the  German  capital  at  the 
age  of  twenty-one,  yielding  to  his  mother's  entreaties 
that  he  should  spend  a  couple  of  years  at  a  foreign  uni- 
versity. Mrs.  Thurston  was  a  widow  of  some  wealth 
and  considerable  social  standing  in  New  York  City,  and 
she  had  become  quite  alarmed  at  her  son's  romantic 
ideas,  and  his  interest  in  social  questions,  during  the 
last  two  years  of  his  college  course.  These-  idiosyncra- 
sies she  thought  would  be  corrected  by  the  conservative 
training  of  a  German  university,  while  his  health  would 
profit  by  the  change,  for  John's  father  had  died  of  con- 
sumption, and  the  young  man's  physique  was  far  from 
being  so  robust  as  his  appearance  would  indicate.  Mrs. 
Thurston  therefore  persuaded  him  to  a  sojourn  at  Berlin, 


10  WHICH  WINS 

which  John's  own  studious  inclinations  made  very 
attractive  to  him. 

While  there,  however,  his  career  had  been  quite  dis- 
appointing. Instead  of  studying  the  Oriental  languages, 
as  he  had  intended,  he  plunged  deep  into  subjects  of 
mediaeval  literature,  social  questions,  land  tenure,  etc. 
Everything  concerning  the  development  of  mankind  and 
the  evolvement  of  its  civilization  apparently  possessed 
an  irresistible  fascination  for  him.  The  Middle  Ages 
were  full  of  a  mysterious  charm,  for  in  that  dark  period 
were  not  the  seeds  of  all  modern  culture  hidden  ? 
And  he  spent  hours  over  the  productions  of  the  minne- 
sanger  and  the  troubadours,  which  in  the  opinion  of  his 
friends  might  have  been  more  profitably  employed. 
Among  other  things,  he  became  absorbed  in  Wolfram 
von  Eschenbach's  Parsifal  to  such  a  degeee,  that  his 
companions  nicknamed  him  derisively  after  that  hero  of 
the  Holy  Grail,  considering  him  a  sort  of  modern  Don 
Quixote  in  his  freaks  of  ascetic  self-denial,  and  his  en- 
thusiastic championship  of  the  rights  of  others,  and 
sympathy  with  their  wrongs ;  a  sympathy  which  led 
him  as  readily  to  divide  his  income  with  an  impecunious 
fellow-student,  as  to  send  a  rose  to  a  poor  little  music- 
teacher  with  whom  he  was  quite  unacquainted,  but  who 
he  knew  was  lonely  and  forlorn. 

A  vivid  resume  of  all  these  things  passed  through 
Ward's  mind,  as  he  gazed  after  the  retreating  form  of 
Parsifal,  marching  up  to  the  deck  of  the  steamer  with 
his  trunk  upon  his  shoulder. 

"  By  Jove !  "  he  murmured,  "  gambling !  Well,  I  never 
will  believe  in  a  sanctimonious  and  poetical  outside 
again !  I  wonder  what  else  he  did  on  the  sly  ?  " 


IS  IT  LOVE  OR  SOCIALISM?  11 


CHAPTER   II 

IS    IT   LOVE    OB   SOCIALISM? 

MEANWHILE,  as  the  Cambria  ploughed  her  way  over 
the  broad  Atlantic,  what  were  the  thoughts  of  the  hand- 
some young  steerage  passenger  who  seemed  so  thoroughly 
out  of  place  in  the  narrow  and  ill-smelling  quarters  he 
had  chosen,  and  who  nevertheless  appeared  so  well  con- 
tented with  himself,  or  the  book  in  his  hand,  or  the 
companions  with  whom  he  shared  his  black  bread  and 
herring,  and  so  unconscious  of  the  admiring  glances 
which  the  young  lady  passengers  of  the  first  cabin 
bestowed  upon  him  from  time  to  time  ? 

The  events  of  the  preceding  six  months  were  often  in 
his  mind,  doubtless,  but  his  fancy  recurred  most  fre- 
quently to  a  scene  in  the  apartments  of  a  wealthy  young 
nobleman,  some  weeks  before  his  departure  from  Berlin. 
Heinrich  von  Bitter,  a  student  friend,  had  invited 
Thurston,  Ward,  Von  Stollert,  a  young  man  who  was 
profound  in  art  criticism,  and  several  others,  to  inspect 
an  artist-proof  copy  of  Waltner's  etching  of  Millet's 
Angelus,  which  he  had  added  to  quite  a  choice  collection 
of  etchings  already  in  his  possession.  How  vividly 
John  remembered  the  room  with  its  dark  rich  hangings, 
the  bright  fire  before  which  a  tiger-skin  rug  was  lying, 
the  broad  south  window,  and  the  flood  of  pale  wintry 
sunshine  pouring  through  it  upon  the  beautiful  etching. 
As  Thurston  leaned  over  the  railing  looking  into  the 
blue  water,  it  often  seemed  to  him  as  if  the  etching  were 
painted  upon  the  waves,  and  beside  it  the  pure  face  of  a 


12  WHICH  WINS 

fair-haired  young  girl,  whose  blue  eyes  smiled  back  to 
him  as  he  gazed  with  a  thankful  benediction.  The 
afternoon  was  a  delightful  one,  to  be  sure,  but  there  was 
something  tantalizing  in  the  way  its  details  kept  coming 
back  to  him.  Von  Stollert  settled  the  matter  of  the 
etching's  excellence  at  once,  and  then  each  expressed  his 
individual  preference. 

"I  don't  like  Millet,"  said  Ward,  "he  is  too  realistic. 
He  is  a  wonderful  artist,  of  course ;  but  I  couldn't  stand 
his  pictures  upon  my  walls ;  I  always  smell  them." 

"  Smell  them  ! "  exclaimed  Von  Stollert ;  "  why,  Ward, 
there's  no  odor  to  Millet's  varnish ! " 

"  But  there  is  to  his  peasants,"  replied  Ward,  looking 
at  the  etching  through  his  fist,  and  sniffing  as  if  the 
odor  of  oppressed  and  unwashed  humanity  already  per- 
vaded the  room. 

"  Parsifal !  "  cried  Heinrich,  "  do  you  hear  that  ?  what 
have  you  to  say  for  your  favorite  artist  ?  " 

"  Nothing,"  replied  Thurston  quietly.  "  His  peasants 
do  smell,  as  Ward  says." 

"Well,  I  declare!"  cried  Stollert,  "and  don't  you 
object  ?  " 

"  Why,  of  course  not,"  said  John.  "  Is  not  the  smell 
of  a  man  a  part  of  his  personality  ?  If  I  paint  you  a 
creature  whose  degradation  has  deadened  his  soul,  whose 
environment  has  cramped  him  in  every  direction,  must  I 
stop  because  he  is  unwashed,  and  let  you  forget  that  the 
burden  of  life  has  never  been  lifted  long  enough  for  him 
to  bathe,  or  learn  the  necessity  or  luxury  of  such  an  act  ? 
No !  I'll  paint  you  every  inch  of  his  dirt,  and  leave  you 
to  draw  the  moral  of  it  if  you  can." 

"  Parsifal ! "  exclaimed  Heinrich,  who  was  looking  out 
of  the  window,  "  I  feel  sometimes  as  if  there  were  really 
an  excuse  for  your  radicalism,  one  sees  so  much  suffer- 
ing- in  the  world.  Now,  there  goes  a  little  girl,"  he 


A  FAIK  MAIDEN  PEKNILESS  13 

added,  pointing  to  a  slender,  fair-haired  figure  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  street.  "She  is  a  pupil  of  Frau 
Schumann,  and  has  a  marvellous  talent ;  there  is  a  career 
open  to  her.  A  friend  has  been  educating  her ;  but  this 
friend  has  lately  died  without  leaving  any  provision  for 
her  maintenance,  and  she  must  give  up  everything  and 
return  home." 

"  But  can't  she  take  scholars,  or  something  ?  "  cried 
John ;  "  surely,  having  gone  so  far,  she  cannot  throw 
away  her  prospects  in  that  fashion." 

"Well,  she's  not  practical,"  explained  Heinrich. 
"  She's  overwhelmed  by  her  misfortune,  and  seems  to 
have  no  idea  that  she  could  maintain  herself  alone,  so 
far  from  home.  I  don't  know  as  she  could,"  he  added ; 
"it's  a  hard  struggle  for  a  delicate  woman,  especially 
when  every  other  girl  gives  music  lessons." 

"  What  is  her  name  ?  "  asked  John  eagerly. 

"Kate  Woolcott;  do  you  want  to  become  her  bene- 
factor ?  "  inquired  Ward,  with  a  smile  that  was  half  a 
sneer. 

"  Could  we  not  get  up  a  purse  for  her  ?  "  began  John 
hesitatingly. 

"Oh,  see  here,  Parsifal!"  interrupted  Stollert,  "you 
are  the  only  fellow  I  know  who  thinks  we  all  ought  to 
give  away  everything  we  have,  and  live  on  a  crust.  The 
girl  can  support  herself  if  she  will.  I  heard  her  play  a 
Liszt-Khapsodie  the  other  day  with  positive  brilliancy, 
and  you  know  we  have  none  of  us  very  generous 
incomes." 

John  cast  his  eyes  about  the  luxurious  apartment 
involuntarily,  and  as  they  came  back  they  rested  on  the 
diamond  which  glittered  on  the  young  baron's  white 
finger,  but  he  said  nothing.  He  had  a  way  of  relapsing 
into  sudden  silence  when  his  friends  exclaimed  at  his 
vagaries,  which  probably  accounted  for  their  patience 


14  WHICH  WINS 

with  his  idiosyncrasies.  But  the  girl's  face  haunted 
him.  Shortly  afterwards  he  received  an  invitation  to 
one  of  Frau  Schumann's  recitals,  and  with  a  half-ac- 
knowledged desire  to  see  once  more  the  unfortunate 
Miss  Woolcott,  and  hear  her  play,  he  went.  Sure 
enough,  there  was  her  name  on  the  programme  for  a 
Chopin  sonata,  and  John  waited  anxiously  for  her 
appearance.  When  she  came,  her  playing  was  all  he 
had  hoped  for ;  while  technically  not  yet  perfect,  it  was 
stamped  with  a  comprehension,  a  Polish  enthusiasm, 
which  delighted  John ;  for  musically  he  was  a  modern, 
and  grew  warm  over  the  weird  mysticism  of  Schumann, 
the  intellectual  passion  of  Chopin,  and  the  lyric  extrava- 
gances of  Liszt,  Moskowski,  and  the  entire  new  school 
of  emotional  interpretation. 

Going  home  the  face  of  the  player  would  not  leave 
him  again,  and  his  own  income,  though  far  from  ample, 
seemed  a  crime  in  comparison  with  the  poverty  of  the 
young  player  he  had  just  heard. 

"  What  justice  is  there  in  human  conditions  ? "  he 
thought  to  himself.  "There  is  a  woman  gifted  and 
beautiful,  with  a  career  open  before  her,  from  which  she 
will  be  barred  by  lack  of  money  to  fit  herself  for  it; 
while  here  am  I,  a  man  strong  and  able  to  labor,  with 
no  talents  for  anything  in  particular,  and  yet  I  have 
never  lifted  a  finger  to  help  myself  since  I  was  born. 
Why  should  I  have  so  much,  and  others  nothing  ? 
Sometimes  it  seems  to  me  I  shall  never  be  happy  until 
I  have  stripped  myself  of  everything,  and  stand  on  an 
equality  with  the  poorest  son  of  Mother  Earth."  And 
John  sighed  as  he  reflected  how  Ward  would  sneer  at 
that  last  piece  of  sentimentalism. 

Some  weeks  after  that,  John  left  Berlin  suddenly. 
He  went  away  at  night  without  saying  good-by  to  any 
one,  and  his  friends  declared  that  he  had  put  the  climax 


PARSIFAL'S  QUIXOTISM  15 

to  all  his  oddities  by  such  behavior.  They  accounted 
for  his  disappearance  in  every  possible  way,  and  found 
all  sorts  of  reasons  for  his  conduct  except  the  real  one. 
That  was  so  unheard-of,  that  no  one  would  have  thought 
of  attributing  it  even  to  Parsifal.  And  he  locked  it  in 
his  own  breast. 

The  fact  is,  he  could  not  believe  it  right  to  have 
theories  and  not  carry  them  out.  How  could  he  sub- 
scribe to  one  set  of  principles  and  live  by  another  ?  He 
hated  falsity  of  every  sort,  and  was  so  strangely  con- 
stituted that  he  could  only  be  at  peace  when  the  outer 
life  corresponded  with  the  inner  thought.  In  this  rush- 
ing century  it  is  safer  not  to  think  too  much.  Parsifal 
had  not  learned  how  severely  society  punishes  any  in- 
fraction of  its  rules,  and  how  sternly  and  inflexibly  It 
cries,  "  Be  like  me,  or  go  under." 


16  WHICH  WINS 


CHAPTER  III 

A   STUDY   OF   CONTRASTS 

WHO  that  has  ever  taken  an  ocean  voyage  can  forget 
it  ?  The  ocean  is  such  a  visible  bit  of  the  Infinite,  that 
the  human  being  who  is  rocked  on  its  bosorn  is  weighed 
by  the  very  contact ;  and  the  man  or  woman  who  does 
not  think  some  thoughts,  while  measuring  the  blue  line  of 
the  horizon  where  sea  and  sky  meet,  is  shallow  indeed. 

The  voyage  was  one  fruitful  in  reflection  to  John,  for 
he  felt  that  a  crisis  had  arrived  in  his  life  which  de- 
manded of  him  a  momentous  decision,  and  one  which 
might  bring  him  into  collision  with  his  somewhat  con- 
ventional and  irascible  mother.  Therefore  he  did  a 
great  deal  of  thinking,  stretched  out  on  the  deck,  with 
nothing  but  clear  air  between  him  and  the  shining  stars, 
or  questioning  the  hard-handed  peasants  with  whom  his 
lot  was  cast  for  the  time  being,  and  whom  he  found  very 
suggestive  of  many  things.  He  was  especially  inter- 
ested in  Carl,  the  young  man  whose  farewell  with  his 
sweetheart  had  attracted  his  attention  while  awaiting 
the  departure  of  the  steamer,  and  who  seemed  to  have 
been  cast  adrift  by  fate,  with  very  indefinite  ideas  of 
how  he  was  to  carve  his  lot  out  of  the  future. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  with  yourself  when  you 
get  to  New  York,  Carl  ?  "  he  asked  one  day  as  the  two 
were  discussing  their  dinner  together. 

"  Oh,  I  will  get  me  a  piece  of  land  and  build  a  house, 
and  then  send  for  Gretchen,  you  know,"  replied  Carl, 
easily.  "  She  is  a  good  girl ;  she  will  wait  awhile." 

"  But  have  you  any  money  to  buy  a  farm  with  ? " 
asked  John,  with  some  curiosity. 


SOME  PEASANT  PRINCIPLES  17 

"Oh,  no,  not  now,  but  I  will  make  it  in  America;  and 
if  I  don't,  the  President  will  give  me  a  farm,"  said  Carl, 
trustingly,  as  he  swallowed  a  chunk  of  black  bread,  and 
made  away  with  half  a  herring  at  one  bite. 

"  And  is  that  the  reason  you  came  away,  to  get  a  farm, 
Carl  ? "  asked  John,  after  a  pause,  during  which  Carl 
sat  with  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  water,  and  the  remaining 
half  a  herring  poised  in  mid  air. 

"  Ach  Gottf  Yes,  I  was  thinking  of  Gretchen,"  mur- 
mured Carl,  with  a  start,  quickly  swallowing  the  other 
half  a  herring,  and  drawing  his  coat-cuff  across  his  eyes. 

"In  the  old  country  there  is  no  chance,"  he  added, 
speaking  a  peculiar  Northern  dialect  which  John  de- 
lighted in.  "  A  man  must  work  somebody  else's  land, 
and  taxes  are  so  high,  and  rent  so  big,  you  can't  do  any 
more  than  make  the  bread  you  eat ;  and  Gretchen  is 
wise,  she  would  like  to  get  on  in  the  world.  So  she 
says,  '  Carl,  you  go  over  there  and  get  a  farm,  and  then 
we  can  be  grand  folks  some  day.' " 

"  And  so  Gretchen  is  the  prudent  one,  is  she  ?  "  asked 
John,  with  a  smile. 

"Yes;  Gretchen  is  sharp,"  admitted  Carl,  carefully. 
"  Not  that  Gretchen  doesn't  know  her  place,  —  she  knows 
she's  nothing  but  a  woman,  —  but  then  you  see  she's 
lived  with  the  great  folks,  and  heard  'em  talk,  and  I'm 
not  the  fellow  to  say  I  won't  do  a  thing  just  because 
Gretchen  thinks  it's  right,  and  Gretchen's  only  a  woman." 
And  Carl  rubbed  his  knees  with  a  broad  smile  of  self- 
complacence,  as  if  he  felt  himself  worthy  of  all  Gretch- 
en's care  and  planning. 

"  Carl,  what  would  you  choose  if  you  had  the  whole 
world  to  pick  from?"  asked  his  friend,  after  some 
moments,  devoted  principally  to  ruminating  as  to  the 
quantity  of  lunch  Carl  could  dispose  of,  supposing  it 
and  time  were  before  him  in  unlimited  quantities. 


18  WHICH  WINS 

"  What  do  you  think  a  man  ought  to  ask  to  be  happy  in 
this  world,  if  all  his  wishes  could  be  gratified  ?  " 

Carl  looked  suddenly  thoughtful,  and  bit  off  a  large  sec- 
tion of  bread  to  chew  on.  The  abstractions  even  of  bread 
and  butter  were  a  little  too  much  for  him,  and  though 
he  knew  he  wanted  Gretchen  and  a  farm,  it  was  difficult 
to  hold  the  idea  off,  and  survey  it  from  a  distance. 

"I  wouldn't  like  to  be  thought  grasping,"  he  said  at 
last,  with  a  little  flush,  "but  I  think  the  man  that  had 
a  good  farm  all  his  own,  and  some  cattle,  and  horses, 
and  a  pig  or  two,  maybe,  and  Gretchen  for  his  wife,  and 
a  houseful  of  nice  children,  needn't  ask  anything  more. 
Though  I  do  say,"  he  added,  thoughtfully,  "  I'd  like  to 
have  a  carryall  to  take  us  to  church  once  in  a  while,  for 
Gretchen  thinks  a  deal  of  going  to  church." 

"And  don't  you  care  about  the  church  ?"  asked  John, 
curiously. 

"  I  don't  think  so  much  of  it  as  Gretchen  does,"  said  Carl, 
slowly.  "  It  does  very  well  for  women-folks,  but  I  think 
the  dear  God  won't  punish  a  man  for  not  going  to  church, 
if  he  takes  care  of  his  family,  and  works  hard  every  day." 

"  But  what  becomes  of  your  soul  then,  Carl  ?  Does  it 
look  after  itself,  you  think  ?  "  suggested  John. 

"Mem  Geist?"  repeated  Carl,  scratching  his  head. 
"  Yes,  I  have  a  soul,  I  suppose ;  the  priest  says  so,  but 
my  stomach  troubles  me  much  more  than  that."  And 
Carl  laughed,  and  helped  himself  to  a  large  piece  of 
Wiener-  Wurst  which  his  mother  had  added  to  his  lunch- 
basket  as  an  especial  delicacy,  as  if  he  thought  his  soul 
a  very  good  joke  indeed. 

"By  Jove,  Carl !  "  said  John,  after  a  little,  "  I  believe 
you're  right  in  this  world,  anyway.  I  wish  my  soul 
and  stomach  could  change  places  as  yours  do ;  it  would 
please  my  mother  hugely,  I'm  sure."  And,  with  a  more 
thoughtful  brow  than  usual,  John  sought  a  group  of 


THE  PROBLEM  OF  THE  DAY  19 

children  near  by,  whose  chief  friend  and  counsellor  he 
was  during  the  entire  voyage. 

But  the  problem  he  had  put  to  Carl,  and  which  he  felt 
he  must  solve  for  himself,  would  not  out  of  his  mind. 
What  must  a  man  do  in  this  world  to  get  the  best  there 
is  out  of  it  and  himself  ?  he  kept  asking,  wondering  at  the 
same  time  how  his  own  solution  of  the  problem  would  fit 
that  which  he  was  certain  his  mother  would  have  to  offer. 

One  day  as  John  was  lying  against  a  pile  of  rope  with 
his  favorite  Shelley  in  his  hand,  Ward  strolled  toward 
him  and  asked  him  the  identical  question  which  he  him- 
self had  put  to  Carl. 

"  Parsifal,"  he  said,  "  what  are  you  going  to  do  with 
yourself  when  you  get  to  New  York  ?  " 

"  I  suppose  you  will  be  surprised  to  hear  me  say  it," 
replied  John,  shutting  his  book  with  a  snap,  and  sitting 
up  straight,  "  but  I  am  thinking  seriously  of  going  West 
on  a  farm  for  a  while.  I  want  to  find  out  as  much  about 
life  as  I  can,  and  I  know  the  city  tolerably  well.  I  should 
like  to  learn  the  country,  and  the  type  it  produces,"  he 
added  slowly. 

"  But,  John,  what  would  become  of  your  ambitions  in 
such  an  existence  as  that  ?  "  asked  his  friend.  "  You 
are  too  much  of  a  student  to  make  a  farmer." 

"  I  may  not  make  a  farmer,  but  I  want  to  know  men  ; 
I  am  tired  of  books,"  said  John,  rising,  and  stretching  out 
his  tall  form  as  if  he  felt  the  infinite  capacities  of  ex- 
pansion in  the  universe.  "  Life  has  never  meant  any- 
thing to  me ;  yet  there  must  be  some  significance  in  it," 
he  added,  scanning  anxiously  his  friend's  face  ;  "  and  I 
should  like  to  find  it  out.  What  is  it  to  you,  Ward  ?  what 
do  you  find  in  it  ?  " 

"  What  do  I  find  in  it?  "  replied  the  other,  tossing  away 
his  half-smoked  cigar,  with  an  air  of  disdain.  "  Why,  a 
great  deal,  I  should  say.  I  am  no  student,  but  I  intend 


20  WHICH  WINS 

to  do  something  in  the  world  before  I  die.  I  shall  be  a 
rich  man ;  money  is  the  power  that  rules  the  world  to- 
day, John,  and  I  mean  to  have  plenty  of  it.  Then  I'll 
marry  a  beautiful  wife,  with  valuable  accomplishments 
that  will  reflect  credit  on  my  taste,  and  if  life  doesn't 
have  a  meaning  for  me  it  won't  be  my  fault." 

"  But  what  are  you  here  for  ? "  asked  Parsifal  anx- 
iously. "  Look  yonder,"  he  added,  pointing  to  the  dis- 
tant horizon.  "  There  is  the  line  where  the  sea  and  sky 
meet ;  we  are  always  approaching  it,  yet  we  never  reach 
it.  So  it  is  with  the  mystery  of  this  existence  of  ours. 
It  never  will  unravel  for  me.  Why  was  I  born  into  an 
atmosphere  of  culture,  refinement,  and  knowledge,  while 
these  poor  beings  "  —  pointing  to  the  group  of  peasants 
near  whom  they  stood  —  "  have  been  denied  almost  every- 
thing except  a  body  to  feed  and  care  for  ?  " 

"  There  you  are  again ! "  cried  Ward  as  he  paused, 
"after  the  Holy  Grail.  You'll  never  find  it,  Parsifal, 
unless  you  stop  theorizing,  and  use  the  conditions  that 
are  under  your  hand.  You  ask  what  life  is  for,"  he 
added.  "  It  is  to  make  the  most  of ;  it  is  essentially  for 
the  practical  man.  Eave  about  soul  all  day  if  you  like, 
but  I  tell  you  life  offers  its  rewards  to  the  man  who  lets 
his  soul  take  care  of  itself,  and  sees  that  his  own  partic- 
ular body  is  well  provided  for.  I'm  willing  to  let  the 
question  of  immortality  rest,"  he  continued,  "  for  I  know 
one  thing,  namely,  that  I  am  a  highly  organized  body 
which  requires  the  exercise  of  a  great  many  forces  to 
satisfy  its  desires.  I  find  those  forces  under  my  hand, 
and  I  intend  to  use  them.  Whether  they  will  bear  any 
fruit  on  the  other  side  of  that  mysterious  line  you  are 
talking  about,  I  don't  know ;  but  I  do  know  that  they 
will  drop  plenty  of  plums  into  my  hands,  and  I  am  ready 
to  take  all  I  can  get." 

"  But  wouldn't  you  care  to  know  whether  anything 


SOME  PRINCIPLES  — ARE  THEY  PEASANT         21 

will  live  after  that  precious  body  of  yours  has  gathered 
all  its  plums?  "  asked  John,  curiously. 

"  No,  not  particularly,"  replied  the  other ;  "  if  I  am 
sure  of  the  plums  here,  I'll  risk  the  treasure  of  another 
world.  I  must  say,"  he  added,  laughing  a  little  while  he 
twisted  the  ends  of  his  rather  long  mustache,  "the  joys 
of  heaven  never  had  much  attraction  for  me.  There  are 
precious  few  things  I  should  care  about,  if  I  didn't  have 
this  coating  of  solid  flesh  and  blood  to  feel  them  with, 
and  I  beg  to  be  excused  from  that  condition  of  hungry 
emptiness  they  call  soul." 

"  Hungry  emptiness  !  "  repeated  John,  slowly.  "  Do 
you  remember  Shelley's  expression  in  'The  skylark,' 
'  unbodied  joy  '  ?  That 's  the  soul  exactly  ;  life  abso- 
lutely without  bounds  or  limitations,  that  would  be 
Heaven  alone ! " 

"  And  yet,"  replied  Ward,  dragging  his  soaring  com- 
panion mercilessly  back  to  earth  again,  "  you  are  deter- 
mined to  cabin  and  confine  yourself  as  much  as  possible. 
With  money  a  man's  life  in  this  world  is  absolutely  with- 
out bounds  or  limitations,  yet  you  refuse  to  have  it, 
throw  it  away,  and  seem  determined  to  narrow  yourself 
to  the  state  of  a  clod  as  far  as  possible.  I  verily  believe 
you  gambled  away  the  little  you  had,  for  the  sake  of 
being  rid  of  it." 

John  looked  up  at  that,  as  if  about  to  make  some  laugh- 
ing remonstrance,  and  then  said  quietly,  "I  don't  get 
any  pleasure  out  of  the  things  money  buys  ;  it  distresses 
me  too  much  to  see  so  many  people  deprived  of  them ; 
and  besides,  Ward,  I  feel  the  doubleness  of  myself  so 
heartily  that  if  I  should  satiate  myself  with  luxury,  the 
denying  spirit  inside  would  declare  itself  starving  just 
the  same." 

Ward  laughed  a  little  derisive  laugh,  which  was  very 
characteristic  of  him.  "  Try  it,"  he  said  ;  "  come  up  to  the 


22  WHICH  WINS 

cabin,  and  let  me  feast  you  on  champagne  and  oysters, 
and  I'll  wager  your  double  will  keep  quiet  for  a  while. 
I  should  be  full  of  yearning  myself,  if  I  had  lived  for 
ten  days  on  black  bread  and  herring,  I  assure  you." 

The  two  men  stood  for  a  long  time  gazing  off  into  the 
blue  water,  and  unconsciously  offering  a  contrast  that 
was  often  remarked  upon  by  the  passengers  during  the 
voyage,  —  Thurston  with  his  tall,  athletic  figure  and 
fine  head,  somewhat  carelessly  dressed;  "\Yard,  short, 
sallow,  rather  slightly  built,  with  small  gray  eyes  set 
close  together,  and  peering  keenly  forth  as  if  always 
on  the  watch  for  their  owner's  advantage,  and  a  head 
which  was  far  from  indicating  any  great  intellectual 
superiority.  He  was  always  elegantly  dressed,  and  laid 
the  greatest  stress  upon  outward  appearance,  although 
never  permitting  himself  to  indulge  in  dandified  extrav- 
agances. Any  one  deciding  between  the  two  men  as  to 
their  qualifications  for  success  in  the  world  would  have 
chosen  Thurston  without  hesitation,  so  marked  were  the 
advantages  on  his  side,  and  so  vivid  was  the  impression 
made  by  his  bright  glance  and  independent  bearing. 

They  had  been  standing  thus  for  some  time,  when 
Ward  suddenly  exclaimed,  — 

"  John,  do  you  remember  that  young  player  Hitter  was 
speaking  of  shortly  before  you  left  Berlin  ?  Miss  Wool- 
cott,  I  mean,  the  pupil  of  Frau  Schumann." 

"I  believe  I  do,"  said  John  with  a  little  start,  looking 
around  quickly  at  his  companion ;  "  why  do  you  ask  ?  " 

"Talking  about  money,  she  had  the  greatest  luck 
imaginable,"  he  added.  "  Some  man  died  just  in  the 
nick  of  time,  and  left  her  a  fortune  of  twenty  thousand 
dollars,  and  she  intends  to  continue  her  studies." 

"  Well,  I'm  heartily  glad  of  it,"  replied  John,  earn- 
estly. "  She  needed  money  more  than  any  one  I  know." 


A  NEW  ATMOSPHERE  23 


CHAPTER   IV 
MRS.  THURSTON'S  VIEWS 

A  MONTH  or  two  after  his  arrival  in  New  York,  John 
had  perfected  his  arrangements  for  going  West,  and  he 
entered  his  mother's  sitting-room  one  morning  with  the 
announcement  that  he  was  ready  for  departure. 

"  The  last  papers  are  signed,  and  I  can  go  to-morrow, 
if  you  say  so,"  he  declared  briskly,  seating  himself  by  his 
mother's  side,  and  impertinently  pulling  one  of  the  little 
curls  upon  her  forehead. 

"  Why,  John,  how  precipitate  you  are !  I  shouldn't 
think  of  having  you  start  off  in  such  a  hurry  as  that !  " 
cried  Mrs.  Thurston  with  great  decision. 

She  was  the  strongest  possible  contrast  to  her  son ;  a 
short,  stout,  little  body,  with  snapping  black  eyes,  and  a 
way  of  settling  difficult  questions  which  almost  brought 
the  tears  to  one's  eyes,  it  was  sometimes  so  surprising 
and  unexpected.  Her  settlements  also  were  usually  be- 
yond appeal,  a  state  of  things  rather  painful  to  John,  as 
her  thoughts  ran  in  a  channel  so  different  from  his  own, 
that  harmony  between  them  was  only  maintained  by 
complete  submission  on  his  part.  It  must  be  admitted, 
however,  in  justice  to  Mrs.  Thurston,  that  her  love  for 
John  was  large  enough  to  cover  many  of  his  sins,  and 
the  submissions  she  demanded  were  usually  in  regard  to 
traditional  and  conventional  points  which  did  not  involve 
a  principle.  She  had  very  little  respect  for  his  "  no- 
tions," as  she  called  most  of  his  pet  theories ;  but  the 
fact  that  they  were  "  John's,"  and  that  they  did  not 
necessitate  an  open  outrage  of  the  conventionalities  of 


24  WHICH  WINS 

society,  saved  them  from  the  fiat  of  her  absolute  disap- 
proval. 

"  But,  mother,"  said  John,  after  they  had  decided  that 
he  should  really  commence  his  journey  the  next  day,  "  it 
seems  dreadful  to  leave  you  here  with  everything  to  pack 
up  and  attend  to,  especially  if  we  sell  part  of  your  house- 
hold goods.  Are  you  sure  you  will  get  everything  packed 
without  difficulty  ?  Would  it  not  be  better  to  keep  Carl 
with  you,  at  any  rate  ?  I  am  sure  he  would  be  a  great 
assistance." 

"  Carl !  Carl ! "  cried  Mrs.  Thurston,  with  deep  dis- 
gust. "  The  only  pleasant  thing  about  your  going,  John, 
is  the  thought  that  I  shall  get  rid  of  that  fellow,  and  his 
tremendous  appetite.  I  never  saw  such  an  eater ;  he 
would  break  me  up  if  I  kept  him  much  longer." 

"But,  mother,  you  are  only  transporting  the  burden," 
began  John,  laughing ;  "  he  will  eat  just  as  much  on  a 
farm  as  here,  and  more  too,  probably." 

"  Oh,  well,  there  will  be  more  to  eat  on  a  farm," 
replied  Mrs.  Thurston,  stepping  briskly  about  the  room, 
opening  and  shutting  drawers,  and  making  various  prep- 
arations for  John's  departure.  "  And  at  least  he  won't 
have  Lydia  to  make  love  to.  Gretchen,  indeed ! "  she 
added  sarcastically.  "I'd  like  to  see  his  Gretchen. 
The  idea  of  a  man's  being  in  love  with  a  Gretchen,  and 
making  love  to  all  the  Lydias  he  sees !  I'd  settle  him 
in  short  order,"  she  concluded. 

"  Mother,"  began  John  hesitatingly,  "  you  don't  know 
how  it  worries  me  to  think  of  your  tearing  up  the  old 
home  here,  and  going  away  out  to  Nebraska.  You  can't 
realize  what  a  change  it  will  be  for  you,  and  if  you  would 
be  persuaded  to  let  me  go  alone  and  try  the  experiment"  — 

"Now,  John,  you  just  be  quiet,  and  let  me  alone," 
replied  his  mother  sharply ;  "  do  you  think  I  would  let 
you  go  out  to  that  wild  place  by  yourself  with  no  one  to 


A  WOMAN  OF  CHARACTER  25 

look  after  you  ?  How  do  I  know  what  habits  you  might 
form,  or  what  you  would  have  to  eat  ? "  she  added. 
"Do  you  suppose  I  am  willing  to  have  your  stomach 
ruined  by  a  diet  of  bacon  and  other  farm  food  ?  " 

"But,  mother,"  persisted  John,  "I'll  risk  the  diet,  and 
you  have  no  idea  how  hard  it  will  be."  For,  the  more 
John  considered  the  question,  the  more  sombre  his 
mother's  side  of  it  became.  "You  are  not  accustomed 
to  drudging  labor,  and  I  am.  sure  it  will  be  impossible  to 
get  women  servants  in  that  out-of-the-way  place,  a  great 
deal  of  the  time.  Think  of  your  having  to  do  the  wash- 
ing, or  even  all  the  cooking  on  a  farm.  Why,  mother, 
you  couldn't  begin  to  do  it  at  your  age  ! " 

"  At  my  age !  did  I  ever ! "  cried  Mrs.  Thurston,  stand- 
ing still,  apparently  in  a  state  of  great  excitement ;  "  I 
should  like  to  know  if  I  look  like  a  superannuated  old 
woman  ? "  she  added,  her  eyes  sparkling  dangerously, 
"  and  I  promise  you  I  can  do  more  work  now  than  any 
girl  of  my  acquaintance.  Age,  indeed !  it  isn't  age  that 
tells,  it's  character ;  and  if  you  haven't  learned  that,  you 
had  better,  John." 

"  But,  mother,"  began  John  again,  "  I  shouldn't  like  to 
ask  any  one  woman  to  do  all  that  must  be  done  on  a  farm." 

"  Oh,  no,  I  suppose  not,"  admitted  his  mother  sarcas- 
tically ;  "  it's  the  fashion  nowadays  to  think  a  woman 
ought  to  fold  her  hands  and  to  do  nothing ;  but  I've 
always  contended,  and  always  shall,  that  it's  her  business 
to  attend  to  the  work  of  a  house,  and  perform  some  of  it 
herself.  Was  there  ever  a  washing  done  in  my  laundry 
that  I  didn't  go  down  and  oversee  it  ?  And  I  should  like 
to  know  if  you  have  ever  eaten  better  food  than  I  have 
cooked ;  in  fact,  if  you  ever  ate  a  meal  in  my  house  that 
I  didn't  attend  to  and  flavor  properly  myself  ?  Come 
now!"  And  Mrs.  Thurston  stood  still  to  mark  more 
fully  the  annihilation  of  her  son,  every  gray  curl  upon 
her  head  trembling  with  delighted  triumph. 


26  WHICH  WINS 

Meanwhile,  satisfied  with  the  state  of  meekness  to 
which  John  was  apparently  reduced,  and  little  guessing 
the  consternation  he  felt  as  he  reflected  upon  the  differ- 
ence between  flavoring  charlotte  russe  in  New  York 
and  getting  dinner  for  farm-hands  in  Nebraska,  Mrs. 
Thurston  continued  her  preparations  for  his  departure, 
protesting  all  the  time  that  it  was  ridiculous  for  him 
to  go  so  soon. 

"  Carl !  Carl ! "  she  called  from  the  head  of  the  stairs, 
"come  and  bring  your  master's  trunk  down  from  the 
attic,  so  that  I  can  pack  it  for  him." 

"Why,  mother,  I  can  do  that  just  as  well  as  not," 
exclaimed  John  quickly. 

"  The  idea ! "  replied  his  mother  impatiently,  as  Carl 
appeared  upon  the  threshold,  "  can't  you  let  the  fellow 
earn  his  salt  ?  Go  up-stairs,"  she  added,  turning  to  Carl, 
"  and  bring  your  master's  trunk  down  from  the  attic." 

Carl  stood  still  looking  from  one  to  the  other,  evi- 
dently in  a  condition  of  agonized  despair  at  his  inability 
to  comprehend  the  lady's  meaning,  and  John  was  about 
to  translate  the  command  when  his  mother  interrupted 
him. 

"Why  don't  you  give  him  a  chance  to  learn  English?" 
she  asked,  "  how  will  he  ever  understand  it  if  you  keep 
translating  for  him  all  the  time  ?  Now,  Carl,  attend  to 
me  and  don't  be  thinking  of  Lydia,"  she  added ;  "  go  up- 
stairs to  the  attic,  and  bring  down  your  master's  trunk." 

Carl  with  a  sudden  look  of  intelligence  disappeared, 
and  in  a  moment,  after  some  slight  sounds  of  altercation 
in  the  hall,  arrived  upon  the  scene  again,  with  Lydia 
blushing  and  protesting  with  vigor  at  such  an  unaccus- 
tomed summons. 

"If  you  would  speak  through  the  tube,  Mrs.  Thurs- 
ton," she  remarked,  a  trifle  stiffly,  "  I  would  like  it  much 
better  than  being  sent  for  by  such  a  Turk  as  that." 


MRS.   THURSTON  ON  THE  WOMAN  QUESTION       27 

Mrs.  Thurston  sank  into  a  chair  speechless  with  indig- 
nation, and  John,  stifling  his  laughter,  dismissed  Lydia, 
and  explained  the  required  errand  to  Carl,  who  disap- 
peared with  a  look  of  astonished  indignation,  which 
boded  no  good  to  Mrs.  Thurston. 

"Mother,"  said  John,  after  the  trunk  was  in  place, 
and  his  mother  had  resumed  her  accustomed  demeanor ; 
"if  you  would  rather  have  me  get  Carl  a  place  upon 
some  other  farm,  I  am  perfectly  willing  to  do  it,  you 
know.  I  am  sure  he  worries  you  nearly  to  death  with 
his  stupid  ways." 

"  Oh,  no,  John,"  replied  the  lady  with  a  sigh.  "  I 
suppose  we  shall  have  to  hire  foreigners  anyway,  and 
one  is  as  bad  as  another.  I  do  wish,"  she  added,  shaking 
her  head  solemnly,  "  that  American  women  would  have 
children  fast  enough  to  populate  the  country  without 
letting  in  all  these  outsiders.  They'll  ruin  the  blood. 
There's  no  telling  what  the  race  will  be  two  or  three 
generations  from  now,  for  people  will  marry  them,  and 
they  all  have  families  of  children.  American  women 
don't  know  their  duty,"  she  concluded  vigorously. 

"But,  mother,  you  only  had  me,"  ventured  John 
mildly. 

"  Yes,  I  know  I  only  had  you,"  responded  his  mother, 
shaking  out  a  dress  suit  with  all  her  might;  "but  I  had 
no  idea,  when  you  were  a  baby,  what  the  state  of  the 
country  was  going  to  be.  Why,  John,  have  you  any 
idea  of  it  yourself  ?  "  she  exclaimed,  standing  still  in 
the  middle  of  the  floor,  with  a  Bible  in  one  hand  and  a 
bottle  of  cologne  in  the  other. 

"  Of  what,  mother  ?  "  asked  John,  with  deep  enjoy- 
ment, for  he  secretly  considered  his  mother  the  best  fun 
in  the  world. 

"Why,  of  what  the  country  is  coming  to!"  explained 
Mrs.  Thurston.  "  You  are  so  deep  in  your  own  thoughts 


28  WHICH  WINS 

you  never  see  anything,"  she  added;  "but  there's 
Bridget,  she's  been  over  here  two  years,  and  has  sent 
for  three  sisters  and  a  brother  ;  and  her  cousin  is  married 
to  an  alderman,  —  what  do  you  think  of  that  ?  "  she  con- 
cluded, shielding  the  Bible  from  a  possible  deluge  by  the 
cologne-bottle,  with  triumphant  care. 

"Mother,  do  you  believe  any  of  them  will  go  to 
heaven  ?  "  asked  John,  with  a  studied  humility  too  deep 
to  rouse  any  suspicion  as  to  its  sincerity. 

"  Go  to  heaven !  well,  I  should  think  not ! "  exclaimed 
his  mother;  "they  are  all  Catholics,  every  one  of  them, 
and  they're  just  as  full  of  the  spirit  of  the  Inquisition  as 
they  can  be,  only  that  they  don't  dare  to  show  it  out." 

And  Mrs.  Thurston  laid  the  new  flannel  shirts  in  a 
soft  little  pile  near  the  cologne-bottle,  with  a  gentle 
nicety  which  quite  belied  the  baleful  light  of  her  black 
eyes,  flashing  eternal  punishment,  unmitigated  by  any 
refrigerating  influences,  for  all  foreigners  of  Catholic 
persuasion. 

John  meanwhile  watched  her  with  a  very  soft  look  in 
his  eyes.  He  knew  she  had  sold  her  house,  and  was 
about  to  sacrifice  enjoyments  which  were  strengthened 
by  years  of  habit,  to  follow  him  to  that  new  land  for 
which  he  yearned ;  and  he  feared  the  result  more  than 
he  cared  to  acknowledge,  while  he  knew  that  nothing  he 
could  suggest  would  alter  in  the  least  his  mother's  deter- 
mination to  accompany  him.  She  was  tired  of  New 
York,  she  said,  and  she  spoke  truly.  People  had  grown 
too  rich  for  her,  she  thought ;  society  had  changed,  and 
she  wasn't  anybody  any  more.  She  wanted  to  try  a  new 
country  where  money  wasn't  so  much  thought  of,  and 
there  was  some  respect  for  character.  And  such  respect 
Mrs.  Thurston  had  no  doubt  of  winning. 

John  lay  awake  many  hours  that  night,  thinking  of 
the  possible  results  of  his  scheme,  and  of  its  conse- 


JOHN'S  DREAM  OF  A  FARM  29 

quences  to  his  mother.  He  meant  to  buy  a  farm  of 
about  six  hundred  acres  somewhere  in  Western  Nebraska, 
and  stock  it  with  cattle  and  implements.  It  might  be 
a  rough  life,  but  it  would  be  living,  which  meant  every- 
thing to  him.  As  to  his  mother  ?  It  meant,  for  her,  no 
concerts,  no  lectures,  no  society,  no  church  perhaps,  no 
opera  certainly,  and,  alas !  it  might  bring  her  nothing 
in  recompense  for  these  losses. 

John's  only  comfort  was  that  a  safe  nucleus  of  bank- 
stock  in  New  York  would  enable  her  to  leave  the  farm, 
if  it  became  too  distasteful  to  her ;  and  he  determined  to 
add  half  the  price  of  the  house  to  that  reserve,  and  say 
nothing  to  her  about  it.  He  could  put  a  mortgage  on  the 
farm,  he  thought,  and  buy  his  implements  on  time,  and 
it  would  be  an  easy  matter  to  pay  everything  off,  if  his 
investment  was  anything  like  as  profitable  as  it  promised 
to  be. 

"  They  say  the  soil  out  there  is  as  black  and  as  rich 
as  plum-pudding,"  thought  John  to  himself.  And  he 
fell  asleep  to  dream  of  miles  of  waving  corn,  and  of 
sleek  cattle  browsing  on  flowery  meadows,  over  all 
which  pleasant  things  he  and  Carl  presided,  with  profit 
to  themselves,  and  every  promise  of  the  happiness  of 
future  Gretchens. 

Life  on  a  Nebraska  farm  has  in  it  many  different 
elements,  as  John  Thurston  very  soon  discovered,  and 
its  best  preparation  is  not,  perhaps,  twenty-one  years  in 
New-York  City.  John,  however,  was  a  very  conscien- 
tious farmer,  and  with  Carl's  experience  in  the  Old  World 
to  help  him,  and  an  astonishing  agricultural  library,  he 
managed  to  get  his  crops  in  and  harvested  without  any 
serious  mishaps.  He  did  not  find  the  life  monotonous 
in  the  least ;  there  was  a  constant  variation  of  labor, 
from  planting,  cultivating,  and  harvesting,  to  tending 


30  WHICH  WINS 

the  cattle,  of  which  John  had  quite  a  herd ;  and  then 
the  peace  and  freshness  of  the  out-of-door  life  had  not 
wearied  John  at  all,  after  he  had  been  upon  the  farm 
two  years.  The  climate  alone  was  a  tonic,  for  it  offered 
a  succession  of  clear,  smiling  days,  prefaced  by  dewy, 
golden  dawns,  and  finished  by  nights  when  the  round 
moon  hung  in  the  sky,  like  the  gentle  wondering  eye  of 
some  vaporous  Cyclops,  and  the  very  soul  of  nature 
seemed  abroad  on  the  prairie. 

The  perfection  of  farming  will  surely  be  found  in 
these  latter  days,  when  the  hard  labor  is  done  by  the  aid 
of  machinery,  and  a  man's  body  need  not  be  so  warped 
and  deadened  by  manual  toil,  that  his  intellect  refuses 
to  answer  to  the  demands  a  well-balanced  human  being 
must  make  upon  it.  John  determined  to  farm  in  the 
most  approved  modern  fashion,  and,  in  fact,  it  is  almost 
an  impossibility  to  carry  on  a  Western  farm  in  any  other 
way.  The  vast  fields  of  hay  and  grain  must  be  planted 
and  harvested  by  machinery,  and  while  the  area  toiled 
upon  is  thus  increased,  the  labor  of  the  toiler  is  much 
less  heavy  than  that  of  the  farmer  fifty  years  ago. 

John's  theory  of  life  was,  that  every  human  being 
should  be  required  to  do  his  share  of  labor  in  the  world, 
and  thus  he  rose  and  went  forth  in  the  dewy  freshness 
of  the  early  dawn,  without  feeling  aggrieved  that  his 
morning  slumbers  were  cut  short ;  and  if  the  hours  of 
labor  were  unduly  lengthened,  he  realized  more  fully 
the  injustice  of  those  conditions  which  require  one  class 
of  men  to  labor  so  unremittingly  that  every  possibility 
of  intellectual  and  soul  development  is  destroyed,  and 
which  free  the  other  from  all  share  in  the  responsibili- 
ties of  life  to  such  a  degree  that  they  grow  forgetful  of 
their  duties  to  the  world,  and  indifferent  to  the  suffer- 
ings of  humanity. 

John  was  very  sensitive  upon  this  point,  and  was  so 


LIVING  AS  BROTHERS  31 

just  to  his  men,  and  interested  himself  so  intimately  in 
their  well-being,  that  the  neighboring  farmers  quite  gen- 
erally accused  him  of  spoiling  his  help,  and  putting 
false  ideas  into  their  heads.  John,  however,  believed 
that  it  would  do  no  man  harm  to  know  that  he  has  a 
right  to  those  three  precious  privileges,  guaranteed  to 
every  citizen  by  the  Constitution  of  our  great  country, — 
life,  liberty,  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness ;  and  while  he 
could  not  appreciably  shorten  the  hours  of  labor  of  his 
men,  nor  pay  them  more  than  the  market  price  for  their 
toil,  he  lost  no  opportunity  of  impressing  upon  their 
minds  the  fact  that  he  considered  the  amount  of  labor 
required  of  them  excessive,  and  the  wages  far  too  low. 
He  also  placed  freely  at  their  disposal  all  the  books  and 
papers  in  the  house,  and  during  the  noon  hour,  or  in  the 
evening,  when  the  day's  duties  were  ended,  he  consti- 
tuted himself  a  bureau  of  information,  and  was  often 
astonished  at  the  questions  asked,  and  the  desire  for 
knowledge  aroused  in  men  who,  perhaps,  never  before 
had  felt  the  stimulus  of  awakening  thought. 

John  had  a  theory  that  change  of  occupation  was 
often  as  refreshing  to  the  body  as  sleep,  and  therefore 
believed  that  he  did  his  men  no  injury  by  tempting 
them  from  slumber  on  the  beautiful  summer  nights, 
when  the  moon  rode  high  and  pale  in  the  translucent 
sky,  and  the  fireflies  were  glittering  all  over  the  prairie, 
like  sparks  from  a  world  of  fallen  stars.  When  the  dis- 
cussion prolonged  itself  till  ten  or  eleven  o'clock,  there- 
fore, he  did  nothing  to  shorten  it,  and  smiled  to  see  the 
men  say  good-night,  looking  far  less  weary  than  when 
they  had  stretched  themselves  for  a  siesta  after  supper. 
Everything  in  the  universe  was  talked  about  in  these 
discussions,  and  John  delighted  in  leading  the  men  to 
tell  of  their  own  past  lives  and  experiences,  gaining  as 
much  profit  himself  from  the  knowledge  of  human 


32  WHICH  WINS 

nature  thus  obtained,  as  did  the  men  from  the  inspira- 
tion of  a  sympathetic  audience.  As  Mrs.  Thurston  had 
foreseen,  foreigners  were  most  numerous  among  the 
help,  and  as  each  one  told  of  his  life  in  a  country  strange 
to  the  others,  and  of  the  vicissitudes  of  fortune  which 
had  driven  him  to  the  New  World,  all  realized  with  new 
force  that  fate  was  teaching  them  in  much  the  same 
school,  and  that  the  mysterious  kinship  of  a  common 
humanity  bound  them  together.  One  of  the  "hands" 
was  a  Russian,  and  had  strange  stories  to  tell  of  nihilis- 
tic plots  in  which  he  had  been  engaged,  and  which  had 
made  him  unpopular  with  the  officers  of  the  government ; 
another  was  a  German  socialist,  who  never  wearied  of 
telling  of  Bismarck's  oppressive  measures,  and  lack 
of  sympathy  with  the  people's  cause.  The  corps  of 
workers  fluctuated.  Sometimes  they  were  all  ignorant 
peasants,  and,  again,  they  were  men  who  had  grown 
bitter  against  the  world  and  God,  on  account  of  their 
own  sufferings;  but  John  usually  succeeded  in  making 
friends  with  all  of  them,  and  learning  some  lesson  from 
the  mystery  of  their  lives. 

During  harvest  time"  John  employed  the  largest  force, 
and  in  the  evenings,  after  the  work  was  over,  he  liked 
nothing  better  than  to  get  them  to  singing,  for  Mrs. 
Thurston  had  brought  her  piano  to  the  farm  with  her, 
and  was  not  averse  to  hearing  it  even  when  it  accom- 
panied the  men's  voices.  John  was  something  of  a 
musician,  and  if  he  discovered  any  musical  taste  among 
the  employees,  was  quick  to  encourage  it,  thus  putting  to 
a  practical  test  Ruskin's  ideas  as  to  the  value  of  art  and 
music  as  civilizing  agencies.  He  sang  choruses  with  the 
men,  which  they  enjoyed  greatly ;  and  the  popular  songs 
of  Germany,  France,  Sweden,  and  Russia,  were  not  un- 
heard in  these  assemblies.  Many  of  them  John  noted 
down  with  interest,  and  never  failed  to  express  his  grat- 


THE  JOY  IN  BEING  JUST  33 

ification  at  the  privilege  of  hearing  them.  Die  Wacht 
am  Rhein,  the  Marseillaise,  and  America,  usually  finished 
off  the  concerts ;  and  at  one  time  John  had  a  Tyrolean 
among  his  men,  who  possessed  a  beautiful  tenor  voice. 
He  had  been  a  shepherd  in  his  mountain  home,  and 
could  sing  many  pretty  Swiss  songs,  but  especially  the 
true  Alpine  Yodel,  which  he  gave  to  perfection.  As  the 
evening  drew  to  a  close,  there  was  generally  a  unani- 
mous call  for  Pierre,  and  the  wild,  strange,  Swiss  melody 
rang  over  the  still  Nebraska  prairie,  as  effectively,  per- 
haps, as  it  had  once  echoed  among  the  lonely  Alpine 
heights  and  icy  passes,  whose  spirit  it  seemed  to  voice. 

These  evenings  at  Thurston's  farm  could  not  fail  to 
rouse  an  echo  among  the  neighboring  homesteads ;  and 
many  a  farmer  who  had  come  to  John  to  protest  against 
his  method  of  managing  his  men,  fell  into  a'  way  of 
coming  over  with  his  wife  to  spend  the  evening,  and  an 
informal  debating  society  was  thus  formed,  which  prob- 
ably did  more  for  the  introduction  of  humanitarian  ideas 
into  the  community  than  any  one  would  have  dared 
prophesy.  Many  people  countenance  injustice  simply 
because  their  attention  has  never  been  called  to  it,  and 
go  on  living  at  the  expense  of  others'  deprivation,  not 
knowing  that  there  is  any  want  or  pain  which  they 
could  redress.  A  man  who  has  grown  habituated  to 
considering  his  employees  beasts,  incapable  of  human 
feeling,  forgets  that  there  is  a  spark  of  the  divine  in 
all  of  us  sadly  in  need  of  nourishment ;  but  demonstrate 
the  fact  to  him,  and  his  conscience  is  aroused  not  only 
for  the  good  of  others,  but  for  his  own  spiritual  wel- 
fare, which  he  is  generally  surprised  to  learn  needs  look- 
ing after.  The  farmers  also  were  inclined  to  look  upon 
John's  notions  of  social  reform  with  growing  tolerance, 
since  they  were  obliged  to  respect  him  as  a  farmer.  His 
fences  were  always  in  order,  his  fodder  corn  was  higher 


34  WHICH  WINS 

than  that  of  any  one  else,  his  grain  promptly  harvested, 
his  cattle  were  sleek  and  well  cared  for,  and  they  knew 
that  the  master  did  his  day's  work  as  conscientiously  as 
any  of  his  workmen. 

One  of  John's  neighbors  who  was  not  so  easily  recon- 
ciled to  his  theories,  however,  was  a  German  named 
Leifert,  who  was  something  of  a  character  in  his  way. 
He  had  six  daughters  all  grown,  the  youngest  being  fif- 
teen, and  the  eldest  on  the  shady  side  of  twenty-five,  as 
near  as  any  one  could  discover.  As  he  had  no  sons,  he 
brought  up  his  daughters  to  do  the  work  of  the  farm, 
and  never  was  obliged  to  hire  extra  help,  except  during 
harvest  time,  when  he  invariably  paid  his  men  less  than 
any  one  else  and  made  them  work  longer,  holding  over 
them  as  a  spur  the  marvelous  feats  of  his  daughters, 
who,  he  was  accustomed  to  say,  could  do  more  work  than 
any  ten  men  he  ever  saw,  though  they  were  "  nothin'  but 
vimmen." 

He  came  over  one  morning  ostensibly  to  borrow 
John's  harrow,  but  in  reality  to  "  talk  a  leedle  sense  " 
into  him,  as  he  expressed  it.  The  harrow  secured, 
Leifert,  a  big,  burly  German,  with  twinkling  black  eyes, 
who  had  grown  stout  on  the  laoor  of  his  daughters, 
began  cautiously, — 

"  Thurston,  vot  for  you  makin'  so  much  trouble  mit  all 
de  mans  round  here  ?  " 

"  Why,  how  is  that  ?  "  asked  John  in  surprise.  "  I 
didn't  know  as  I  had  made  any  trouble." 

"  Ya,  ya,  you  pe  makiu.'  trouble  all  de  time,"  replied 
the  visitor  with  some  heat.  "  I  vant  to  git  a  man  oder 
day  to  help  mit  my  wege tables,  und  I  say  I  never  bay  no 
more  as  seventy -five  cent,  und 'he  say  as  how  Thurston 
say  as  how  dem  vas  starvation  waches,  or  somedings  like 
dot,  und  he  don't  do  it,  und  I  say  as  how  ven  gals  like 
mine  vorks  for  nodings,  he  pretty  lucky  to  git  seventy- 


ANOTHER  SET  OF  PRINCIPLES  35 

five  cent,  und  I  dinks  you  ain't  got  no  pizness  puttin' 
notions  like  dot  in  no  man's  head  vot  ain't  got  no  land, 
und  got  to  vork  fur's  livin'." 

"Well,  Leifert,"  said  John  amicably,  "I'm  sure  I 
don't  want  to  do  any  harm,  but  I  can't  keep  my  tongue 
still  always,  and  you  see,  the  minute  you  recognize  in- 
justice you  set  people  to  thinking." 

"  Oh,  you  make  me  dot  rasend  mit  such  talk  ! "  cried 
Leifert  in  a  great  rage.  "  Vot  pizness  haf  a  man  got 
say  in'  how  much  he  git  ven  he  ain't  got  nottin',  I  like 
to  know  !  I  like  to  hear  my  gals  talk  dot  vay,  I  shust 
like  to  see  'em ;  und  dey  vorks  all  day  und  all  night,  and 
never  gits  von  cent." 

"Well,  Mr.  Leifert,"  said  John,  "if  I  should  come 
over  to  call  on  you,  the  first  thing  I  should  do  would  be 
to  tell  your  girls  they  ought  not  to  think  of  working  for 
an  old  fellow  that  won't  pay  them,  if  he  is  their  father." 

"  Ya  I  you  shust  dare  to  come  arount  my  blace,  I  like 
to  see  you  dere ! "  cried  Leifert,  his  wrath  growing 
almost  beyond  his  power  of  expression.  "Gott  in 
Himmel !  I  set  my  dog  on  you  quick ! " 

"But,  Leifert,  put  the  case  to  yourself,"  replied  John, 
brushing  down  the  side  of  a  fine  short-horned  calf  with 
affectionate  care.  "  HOAV  would  you  feel  if  some  fellow 
should  get  you  in  his  power  and  make  you  work  hard  for 
him  day  and  night,  and  pay  you  nothing,  even  grudge 
you  .board  and  clothes  maybe  ?  " 

"  Oh,  you  mind  your  pizness,  und  let  me  be ! "  cried 
Leifert,  doubling  up  his  fists  and  dancing  on  both  feet 
in  his  endeavor  to  restrain  an  almost  unconquerable 
inclination  to  knock  John  over  and  tear  his  heart  out. 
"  You  mind  your  pizness,  I  say.  My  gals  is  mine,  und 
I  like  to  know  if  a  man  ain't  boss  in  his  own  family, 
und  vot  does  vimmen  folks  know  about  money  anyhow  ? 
Dey  shust  goes  und  spends  all  de  geld  dey  gits." 


36  WHICH  WINS 

"  But  they  have  a  right  to  if  they  earn  it,"  responded 
John  coolly.  "Don't  you  do  as  you  please  with  your 
money  ?  " 

"  Gott  und  Hinimel ! "  cried  Leif  ert.  "  Ich  bin  ein 
Mann!  you  vant  me  to  ask  meine  frau  if  I  kin  spend 
some  money  ?  Dem  darned  vimmen  folks  dey  fights  me 
all  de  time  anyhow.  How  you  tink  I  come  out  if  I 
don't  let  'em  know  who's  boss  ?  " 

"  Well,  you'll  come  out  all  right  if  you  try  my  plan/' 
replied  John.  "  My  mother  and  I,  now,  AVC  never  have  a 
word." 

"  You  mean  to  say  you  never  fights  ?  "  asked  Leifert 
incredulously. 

"  Fight  ?  "  cried  John,  "  why,  we  never  think  of  such 
a  thing." 

"  Well,  I  like  to  know  how  you  does  it,  really  now," 
exclaimed  Leifert,  drawing  nearer  to  John,  his  mouth 
wide  open  with  astonishment. 

"  It's  the  simplest  thing  in  the  world,"  said  John  mov- 
ing to  the  other  side  of  the  calf  with  his  brush.  "  You 
know,  women  are  a  great  deal  smarter  than  men,  and  can 
manage  much  better  if  you  will  let  them,  and  they  can't 
help  being  cross  when  they  see  us  doing  things  in  such 
a  foolish,  extravagant  sort  of  a  fashion.  They  know 
how  much  more  wisely  they  could  plan  it  all.  So  just 
let  them  have  their  way,  and  they  make  us  happy,  and 
every  thing  goes  on  swimmingly.  Now  there's  my 
mother,"  continued  John;  "she  manages  every  thing, 
and  I'm  simply  her  man.  That's  the  reason  we  prosper, 
you  see." 

Leifert  had  moved  around  to  John's  side  as  he  talked, 
and  was  gazing  at  him  with  open-eyed  astonishment. 
"  She  own  all  dis,  all  dem  cows  und  dings  ?  "  he  asked 
with  a  Avave  of  the  hand  which  was  meant  to  include  the 
entire  place.  John  nodded  as  if  he  had  said  nothing 
unusual. 


LEIFERT'S   OPINION  37 

"  You  bay  her  all  de  moneys  vot  you  makes  ?  "  con- 
tinued Leifert,  apparently  struggling  with  his  incredulity. 

"  Of  course.  How  can  I  help  it  when  it's  all  hers  ?  " 
responded  John,  polishing  the  calf's  horn  with  supreme 
indifference  to  his  companion's  state  of  mind. 

Leifert  stood  still  a  moment,  evidently  making  a 
gigantic  effort  to  master  his  emotions.  "  Say,"  he  said 
finally,  "  I  heard  you  vos  von  fool,  but  you  de  biggest 
fool  I  ever  see.  You  goin'  to  get  married  some  day, 
ain't  you  ?  " 

"  Why,  yes,  I  hope  so,"  replied  John,  laughing,  "  if  I 
can  find  any  one  to  have  me." 

"  You  know  vot  you  git  ? "  continued  the  German 
solemnly.  "  You  ain't  got  no  sense  at  all ;  your  f rau 
she  murder  you  in  your  bett  some  day.  You  haf  to  keep 
'em  down,  see  ?  Keep  'em  down,  or  you  can't,  do  nottin' 
mit  'em."  And  so  saying,  Leifert  marched  off  in  much 
excitement,  forgetting  all  about  the  harrow  in  his  disgust 
at  the  strange  doctrines  he  had  heard. 

John,  however,  continued  to  rub  down  his  short-horn 
calves,  polish  their  horns,  and  comb  out  their  tails.  He 
enjoyed  caring  for  the  gentle  creatures,  and  often  won- 
dered as  he  looked  into  their  soft  eyes,  how  much  intel- 
ligence there  responded  to  his  care  for  their  comfort  and 
welfare. 

This  morning,  however,  other  thoughts  were  filling  his 
mind,  and  as  he  walked  back  and  forth,  pausing  now 
and  then  to  watch  the  flickering  sunlight  dancing  on  the 
floor,  his  fancy  ran  on  in  the  channel  suggested  by 
Leifert,  and  he  smiled  to  himself  as  a  certain  fair  face 
was  pictured  in  his  mind,  and  a  possibility  which  made 
the  face  no  stranger  in  his  life  seemed  not  unthinkable. 
He  hummed  unconsciously  the  bars  of  a  Chopin  sonata, 
as  he  passed  and  repassed  in  the  flickering  sunshine,  and 
a  future  in  which  music  and  love  and  freedom  colored 


~38  WHICH  WINS 

all  the  days  and  sweetened  the  nights,  opened  fair  vistas 
to  his  mind,  dissolving  distances  of  that  happiness  which 
comes  of  unselfish  living  and  pure  thinking. 

Ah,  Parsifal !  life  would  be  worth  living  if  its  prizes 
were  won  as  easily  as  your  fancy  captured  them  for  you 
that  summer  morning ;  and  humanity  would  turn  saint 
at  small  cost  to  itself  if  the  rewards  of  virtue  and  high 
thinking  were  as  palpable  as  you  would  have  made  them. 
But  through  many  dreary  days  must  your  thoughts  re- 
turn to  that  morning  in  the  sunny  stalls,  and  to  the 
vision  of  pure  delight  which  grew  before  you,  circling 
around  the  lady  of  your  dreams.  Keality  may  grow  very 
bitter  to  you,  but  the  glamour  of  the  vision  will  never 
fade,  and  never  can,  though  the  face  which  was  the  cen- 
tre of  it  be  framed  in  pain  and  disappointment. 


MRS.  THURSTON  AND  THE  FARM  39 


CHAPTER  V 

MRS.    THURSTON    AND    THE    FARM 

MRS.  THURSTON'S  views  of  the  farm,  and  her  enjoy- 
ment of  it,  were  very  different  from  John's.  She  en- 
dured far  more  hardship  than  her  son,  since  it  was  often 
impossible  for  her  to  obtain  any  assistance  in  her  house- 
work ;  and  though  John  helped  her  and  saved  her  as  much 
as  he  could,  still  he  was  not  able  to  save  her  from  a  great 
deal  that  was  new  and  unforeseen  in  her  experience. 

One  of  her  greatest  trials,  perhaps  greater  than  the 
arduous  labor  she  was  obliged  to  perform,  was  the  for- 
eign help  she  was  compelled  to  see  around  her ;  and  in 
harvest  time,  when  the  men  were  numerous  and  rough, 
and  of  all  nationalities,  her  sufferings  culminated.  She 
was  accustomed  to  say  that  she  never  expected  to  speak 
decent  English  again,  after  the  polyglot  language  to 
which  she  was  forced  to  listen  constantly;  and  for  a 
woman  who  understood  no  tongue  but  that  of  her  native 
land,  and  looked  upon  all  others  with  small  respect,  it 
was  indeed  a  trial  to  hear  it  maltreated  on  every  hand, 
and  made  to  illustrate  daily  new  deformities  in  speech. 
Her  efforts  in  its  behalf  were  heroic,  but  it  is  to  be  feared 
they  were  of  slight  avail,  save  for  the  comfort  they 
afforded  her.  Carl  was  always  her  first  and  foremost 
affront,  but  after  him  the  history  of  the  farm  was  to  her 
a  dissolving  view  of  Swedes,  Norwegians,  Russians,  Irish, 
Italians,  French  —  she  congratulated  herself  that  they 
had  no  Turks  and  no  Chinamen,  feeling  sure  that  the 
burden  of  her  alien  woes  would  be  complete,  if  these 
were  added  to  the  throng. 


40  WHICH  WIN& 

Among  the  Russians  who  appeared  and  disappeared 
at  various  times,  was  one  whom  Mrs.  Thurston  looked 
upon  with  ill-concealed  distrust,  as  a  Nihilist,  for  John 
had  told  her,  in  a  moment  of  inadvertence,  that  Rabo- 
schez  was  an  exile.  Raboschez  had  called  himself  a  gen- 
tleman in  his  own  home,  and  evidently  was  so  much  one 
that  he  did  not  know  how  to  do  anything  to  earn  a  liv- 
ing, and  had  not  yet  gotten  over  a  serene  contempt  for 
those  who  did.  He  had  a  way  of  keeping  Sunday, 
among  other  things,  which  annoyed  Mrs.  Thurston  ex- 
ceedingly. She  suspected  him  of  having  left  a  lady-love 
behind  him  in  the  old  country,  "  who  of  course  must  be 
a  Nihilist  also,"  cried  Mrs.  Thurston.  The  reason  for 
the  good  lady's  suspicions  lay  in  the  fact  that  Raboschez 
would  invariably  bathe  on  Sunday,  anoint  his  hair  freely 
with  bear's  grease,  and  then  come  down  and  ask  her  for 
a  little  fine  writing-paper,  only  he  invariably  forgot  the 
word  for  writing-paper,  and  would  finish  his  sentence 
with  a  spluttering  Russian  word,  which,  as  Mrs.  Thurs- 
ton said,  frightened  her  nearly  out  of  her  wits. 

It  was,  in  fact,  a  chronic  habit  with  Raboschez  to  for- 
get words ;  and  Mrs.  Thurston,  knowing  that  the  race  of 
which  he  was  the  representative,  has  a  special  gift  for 
languages,  believed  that  this  apparent  forgetfulness  was 
a  treacherous  pretence. 

"  He  is  a  Nihilist,"  she  would  exclaim  to  John  warmly, 
"and  how  can  you  tell  what  he  is  saying  when  he  breaks 
out  in  that  crazy  way  and  goes  to  talking  Russian  ?  You 
may  be  sure  he  is  plotting  treason,  or  trying  you  with  a 
secret  password,  or  setting  some  trap  for  you.  A  Nihil- 
ist is  capable  of  anything." 

"But,  mother,"  John  would  respond  argumentatively, 
"  what  would  be  the  use  of  his  talking  treason  to  us  ? 
He  is  far  enough  away  from  Russia,  and  we  are  not  a 
noble  family,  you  know." 


MRS.   THURSTON  AND  THE  NIHILISTS  41 

"Well,  he  means  something,"  Mrs.  Thurston  would 
reiterate  solemnly.  "  The  other  day  at  the  table  he 
wanted  some  bread,  and  he  began,  '  Will  you  bleeze  don- 
nez-moi  the '  —  and  then  he  stopped  and  looked  all  around 
the  table  —  I'll  warrant  you  one  of  these  fellows  is  a  con- 
federate of  his  —  and  then  he  said  something  in  Kussian, 
you  can't  make  me  believe  it  was  only  the  word  for 
bread ;  why,  the  Ta  and  the  r's  and  the  z's  were  rattling 
for  two  minutes,  it  seemed  to  me." 

"But  what  could  he  say  that  would  do  any  one  any 
harm,  mother  ?  "  asked  John,  laughing. 

"  Why,  he  might  be  proposing  to  burn  the  house  down, 
or  cut  our  throats,  or  just  as  like  as  not  he  is  a  secret 
agent  that  the  Nihilists  have  sent  over  to  corrupt  the 
country,"  replied  Mrs.  Thurston,  looking  quite  pale  with 
consternation.  "Really,  John,  you'll  have  to  get  rid  of 
him,  for  I  sha'n't  sleep  in  peace  a  moment  while  he 
stays.  I  shouldn't  wonder  if  the  house  were  undermined 
and  filled  with  dynamite  this  minute." 

And  in  fact,  Mrs.  Thurston's  distaste  for  Kaboschez 
was  so  uncontrollable,  that  the  poor  fellow  discovered 
it  himself,  and,  coming  to  John  one  day,  told  him  he 
thought  that  he  would  have  to  move  on,  since  "the 
madame,"  as  he  designated  Mrs.  Thurston,  disliked  him 
so  much. 

The  poor  lady's  real  tribulations  with  her  own  help, 
however,  were  as  painful  as  the  imaginary  ones  she 
suffered  from  the  foreigners.  She  tried  all  kinds,  and 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  all  were  equally  undesirable, 
for  they  were  either  slovenly  and  incapable,  or  didn't 
"  know  their  place ; "  "  their  place  "  being  an  indefinite 
locality  in  Mrs.  Thurston's  ideal  world,  so  far  removed 
from  her  own  position  as  to  preclude  all  possibility  of 
human  sympathy,  and  all  interchange  of  interest.  The 
model  servant,  in  the  lady's  eyes,  was  an  automaton 


42  WHICH  WINS 

which  always  bowed  and  spoke  at  the  right  moment, 
and  never  presumed  to  have  either  feelings  or  opinions, 
at  least  in  the  presence  of  its  mistress ;  and  in  compari- 
son with  this  imaginary  being,  continual  contact  with  un- 
trained humanity,  which  knew  nothing  of  the  advantage 
of  being  born  and  bred  in  New  York  City,  and  accus- 
tomed to  the  best  society,  was  intolerable  to  Mrs. 
Thurston. 

"The  idea  of  having  to  explain  to  people  what  you 
are ! "  she  said  to  John  one  day,  "  shouldn't  you  think 
those  creatures  would  realize  their  own  condition,  and 
know  the  difference  between  it  and  that  of  a  lady  ?  " 

"  You  see,  mother,"  explained  John,  "  our  democratic 
theory  of  government  is  very  demoralizing.  These  peo- 
ple hear  that  in  America  all  men  are  equal,  and  it  takes 
them  some  time  to  learn  the  distinction  between  being 
equal  in  theory  and  practice." 

"  Well,  they  had  better  learn  it,"  cried  Mrs.  Thurston 
irascibly ;  "  but  I  don't  want  the  burden  of  their  instruc- 
tion, I  must  say." 

"  They  are  learning  it  fast  enough,  mother,"  said 
John  with  a  little  sigh,  "  and  it's  a  bitter  lesson  to  some 
of  them.  In  spite  of  their  coarseness  they  are  human, 
and  it's  hard  to  feel  that  there  is  no  place  on  the  face  of 
the  earth  where  somebody  won't  'put  them  down/  on 
account  of  the  accident  of  birth." 

Mrs.  Thurston  looked  at  her  son  with  great  disdain. 
"  Well,  John,"  she  cried,  "  I  knew  you  had  crazy  ideas, 
but  I  didn't  suppose  they  would  ever  lead  you  to  uphold 
those  low  people  in  impertinence  to  me." 

One  day,  in  despair,  John  rode  over  to  a  poverty- 
stricken  neighbor,  named  Watson,  and  persuaded  one 
of  his  daughters  to  come  and  assist  his  mother  in  her 
labors.  But  that  unfortunate  and  ill-advised  inspiration 
was  the  last  straw  upon  Mrs.  Thurston's  burdens. 


IS  A  SERVANT  HUMAN  43 

"John,"  she  exclaimed  in  deep  disgust,  "I  would 
rather  do  my  work  alone  forever,  than  have  a  servant  in 
the  house  who  must  be  treated  as  an  equal.  This  girl  is 
an  American,  and  she  will  expect  me  to  eat  with  her 
first,  and  then  after  she  has  washed  the  dishes,  entertain 
her." 

"  Well,  mother,  you  know  she  is  a  farmer's  daughter, 
and  'just  as  good'  as  we  are,  so  you  must  be  a  little 
patient  with  her  peculiarities,"  said  John,  willing  to  put 
the  best  face  upon  the  matter,  as  usual. 

"  Patient !  "  cried  Mrs.  Thurston,  "  much  you  know 
about  what  patience  these  creatures  demand.  What  do 
you  suppose  the  girl  asked  me  before  she  had  been  in 
the  house  a  day  ?  " 

"  I'm  sure  I  never  could  guess,"  responded  John. 
"  Perhaps  she  wanted  you  to  give  her  music  lessons." 

"Well,  that  would  be  bad  enough,"  continued  his 
mother,  "  but  just  imagine,  she  wanted  to  know  if  I  had 
my  dresses  made  in  Omaha,  and  how  often  I  had  to 
bleach  my  hair ! "  and  Mrs.  Thurston's  eyes  looked  so 
dangerous  that  poor  Maggie  would  have  dared  no  more 
questions  if  she  had  seen  them. 

"  The  girl  is  actually  pretty,  too,"  continued  her  mis- 
tress in  a  tone  of  great  anxiety,  "  and  some  of  these  men 
will  be  falling  in  love  with  her,  you'll  see." 

"  But,  mother,"  interrupted  John  mischievously,  "  I  am 
sure  that  would  be  only  natural." 

"  Natural,  indeed ! "  replied  his  mother,  "  I  should 
think  you  would  see  that  it  would  be  the  height  of  im- 
prudence and  foolishness  for  any  of  these  men  to  fall  in 
love  with  Maggie.  What  do  such  vulgar  people  know 
about  love,  anyway,  John  ?  "  she  concluded,  with  an  air 
of  being  exhausted  at  the  faults  which  poverty-stricken 
humanity  would  be  guilty  of ;  "  if  they  knew  more  about 
it  they  wouldn't  catch  it  so  promiscuously." 


44  WHICH  WINS 

As  they  talked  they  were  standing  by  the  open  win- 
dow of  the  dining-room,  where  Mrs.  Thurston  was  wash- 
ing up  the  breakfast  cups  and  saucers ;  and  as  they 
looked  out,  Maggie  was  coming  from  the  barn  where  she 
had  been  to  look  for  eggs,  and  Raboschez,  who  had  come 
in  from  the  fields  for  a  jug  of  water,  walked  beside  her 
and  insisted  upon  carrying  her  basket.  Maggie's  laugh 
rang  out  as  they  walked  slowly  on,  and  Raboschez  was 
gesticulating  and  talking  eagerly. 

"  There  !  see  that !  "  cried  Mrs.  Thurston.  "  That  man 
has  no  difficulty  in  making  her  understand  him ;  and  the 
first  thing  you  know,  she'll  be  in  league  with  him.  I'll 
warrant  you  he  is  not  throwing  any  ten-syllabled  words 
at  her  either." 

John  laughed,  as  he  usually  did  at  his  mother's  extrav- 
agances, but  his  laugh  was  not  very  hearty.  He  knew 
from  the  strained  and  querulous  tone  of  her  voice,  how 
rasped  and  wearied  she  was  by  this  contact  with  condi- 
tions which  she  could  not  understand,  and  was  not  young 
enough  to  grow  into.  The  grief  of  knowing  also  that  it 
was  for  his  sake  she  had  insisted  upon  facing  this  new 
life,  gave  him  a  pang  he  would  fain  have  been  free  from ; 
and  he  thought  with  increased  regret  of  her  pleasant 
home  in  New  York,  and  those  even  surroundings  and 
conventional  acquaintances,  neither  of  which  ever  sug- 
gested a  query  as  to  their  reason  for  existence  or  per- 
manence. 

Mrs.  Thurston,  however,  was  not  one  to  yield  to  the 
inevitable  without  a  struggle ;  and  she  undertook  to 
give  Maggie  some  lessons  in  etiquette  which  filled  that 
young  woman's  soul  with  gall  and  wormwood. 

"  I'm  not  to  speak  to  you  unless  you  speak  to  me  first, 
indeed ! "  she  cried  indignantly,  "  and  I'm  not  to  play 
'  Money  Musk '  on  the  piano,  though  I  kin  play  it  as  good 
as  anybody !  and  it  ain't  polite  to  ask  questions  about 


MRS.   THURSTON'S  PHILANTHROPY  45 

people's  hair,  and  where  they  git  their  dresses  made ! 
I'll  jist  let  you  know,  Mrs.  Thurston,  I  ain't  beholden  to 
nobody,  an'  if  I  want  to  work  out  I'll  find  folks  that  ain't 
quite  so  particular  as  you  be." 

And  Maggie  marched  off,  bag  and  baggage,  spreading 
far  and  wide  the  story  of  Mrs.  Thurston's  "  highfalutin'  " 
notions  and  "  stuck-up "  ways,  and  giving  that  lady  a 
reputation  for  bad-tempered  and  unchristian  principles, 
which  would  have  filled  her  with  horror  if  she  could  have 
heard  and  understood. 

Mrs.  Thurston,  in  fact,  was  haunted  by  an  undefined 
feeling  that  something  in  her  intercourse  with  Raboschez 
and  such  "  low  people  "  was  wrong  ;  but  what  it  was,  she 
could  not  comprehend.  She  meant  to  be  kind  to  every- 
body, and  was  conscientiously  desirous  of  considering 
the  best  interests  of  all  with  whom  she  came  in  contact ; 
but  it  never  occurred  to  her  that  people  whom  she  in- 
stinctively classed  as  belonging  to  the  "  vulgar  herd," 
could  know  their  own  best  interests  better  than  she  did, 
with  all  her  social  advantages,  back  of  her  superior  cul- 
tivation ;  while  the  fact  that  they  should  object  to  re- 
ceiving advice  and  remonstrance  from  her  own  "  higher 
plane,"  was  quite  incomprehensible  to  her. 

"  It's  a  great  pity  that  ignorant  people  should  be  so 
unwilling  to  be  taught,"  she  remarked  frequently  to 
John.  And  this  unwillingness  to  be  taught  became  as- 
sociated in  her  mind  with  all  ignorance,  until  it  engen- 
dered a  bitter  feeling  toward  the  unfortunate  unlettered, 
and  convinced  her  that  they  were  stubbornly  determined 
to  remain  in  the  condition  where  fortune  had  placed 
them,  and  pull  the  rest  of  the  world  down  to  them.  She 
regarded  John's  interest  in  his  men  thereafter  with  re- 
newed disfavor,  and  was  inclined  to  agree  with  Leifert 
that  he  spoiled  them  by  putting  foolish  notions  into 
their  heads. 


46  WHICH  WINS 

"  You  can't  raise  those  people !  "  she  cried  irritably, 
when  the  subject  came  up  much  to  John's  disquiet; 
"show  me  a  servant-girl  that  ever  became  anything 
higher  in  an  honest  way,  and  I'll  have  more  confidence 
in  your  visionary  theories." 

Maggie,  however,  had  the  distinction  of  being  her 
chief  bete  noire  for  some  time,  and  the  parable  from 
which  she  drew  many  lessons. 

"Maggie,"  she  said,  when  the  moment  finally  came 
for  them  to  separate,  "you  know  a  lady  who  has  had  all 
the  advantages  of  the  world  and  society  should  be  looked 
up  to  by  a  poor  girl  like  yourself,  aside  from  all  differ- 
ences of  fortune." 

"  Well,  Mrs.  Thurston  ! "  cried  Maggie,"  it  takes  all  sorts 
o'  folks  to  make  a  world  ;  an'  when  I  sees  them  as  never 
remembers  they  come  into  the  world  the  same  as  me,  an' 
hez  to  go  out'n  it  the  same,  an'  is  made  o'  flesh  an'  blood, 
then  I  keeps  ez  fur  from  'em  ez  I  kin,  fur  they  don't  do 
me  no  sort  o'  good." 


THE  STRUGGLE  FOR  EXISTENCE  47 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE   STRUGGLE    FOR   EXISTENCE 

JOHN'S  greatest  trouble  after  the  first  year  of  farm  life 
was  that  he  could  not  make  the  business  pay.  He  had 
wondered  somewhat  upon  first  coming  to  Nebraska  that 
most  of  the  farmers  did  not  look  more  prosperous,  hav- 
ing supposed  that  farming  was  a  safe  and  reliable  pur- 
suit, in  which  the  profits,  though  small,  could  be  depended 
upon.  He  remembered  the  cautions  in  regard  to  his 
venture  which  had  been  given  him  by  several  business 
men  before  he  went  West ;  but  which  he  treated  with  a 
young  man's  supreme  contempt  for  other  people's  expe- 
rience, and  thought  nothing  of. 

During  his  first  year,  he  was  not  surprised  that  no 
income  rewarded  his  labor ;  though,  in  fact,  the  proceeds 
of  the  farm  did  not  begin  to  pay  its  running  expenses. 
He  felt  that  he  was  learning  a  new  business  which  might 
contain  mysteries  of  profit  and  loss  still  unexplained,  and 
hoped  to  cast  up  his  balance  more  satisfactorily  another 
time.  Then,  too,  his  crops  were  not  very  good,  and  he 
suffered  a  scarcity  in  which  all  in  the  neighborhood 
shared ;  for  blighting  weather  had  visited  that  part  of 
the  country,  to  the  destruction  of  agricultural  interests. 
The  next  season,  however,  "growing  weather"  prevailed ; 
crops  were  luxuriant,  and  John  discovered  that  his  grain 
brought  such  a  low  price  in  the  market,  that  it  did  not 
pay  the  cost  of  production.  This  result  was  so  unex- 
pected that  it  set  John  to  thinking  seriously,  and  to 
questioning  his  neighbors  more  closely  than  he  had 


48  WHICH  WINS 

dared  to  do  before.  The  discoveries  he  made  surprised 
him  so  much  that  he  felt  at  a  loss  what  to  do. 

"Mother,"  he  said  to  Mrs.  Thurston  one  day,  as  he 
found  her  paring  apples  by  the  kitchen  fire,  "do  you 
know  that  the  farm  doesn't  pay  at  all  ?  " 

"  Why,  John,  I've  heard  you  express  dissatisfaction  at 
the  prices  you  get  for  things,"  replied  Mrs.  Thurston  ; 
"  but  I  didn't  know  it  was  so  bad  as  that." 

"Yes;  it's  just  as  bad  as  that,"  responded  John  rue- 
fully ;  "  if  it  were  not  for  your  New  York  bank  account, 
we'd  be  beggars,  pretty  nearly." 

"Why,  John,  how  you  talk!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Thurs- 
ton quickly.  "We'll  have  to  economize  if  that's  the 
case." 

"  Well,  it  costs  us  about  as  much  to  live  here  on  this 
place,  as  it  did  to  live  quietly  as  we  did  in  New  York," 
said  John ;  "  and  I  can't  quite  understand  why  it  is  all 
outgo  and  no  income,  especially  as  every  one  else  in  the 
neighborhood  seems  to  be  in  the  same  box  as  ourselves. 
It  looks  very  much  as  if  we  would  have  to  burn  our  corn 
this  winter ;  and  as  for  wheat,  mother,  it  doesn't  pay  to 
sell  wheat  for  forty  or  fifty  cents  a  bushel  when  it  takes 
only  ten  bushels  to  make  a  barrel  of  flour,  and  that  barrel 
costs  us  seven  dollars  and  a  half." 

"But,  John,  I  don't  understand  how  things  can  be  so," 
said  Mrs.  Thurston.  "Your  grandfather  farmed  in  New 
York  State,  and  he  was  a  gentleman  and  well-to-do,  one 
of  the  first  men  in  his  county ;  and  I  don't  see  why  you 
shouldn't  succeed  as  well,  —  unless  it  is,"  she  added, 
"you  haven't  his  business  faculty." 

John  made  no  answer,  but  he  wondered  if  the  business 
faculty  in  himself  was  missing,  or  if  the  business  faculty 
in  the  whole  country  had  suddenly  become  dormant,  and 
was  making  successful  private  enterprise  an  impossi- 
bility. 


JOHN'S  INITIATION  49 

That  year  he  tried  raising  seeds  for  some  of  the  great 
Eastern  seed-houses,  instead  of  his  usual  grain  crop ;  but 
he  found  that  it  required  so  many  hands  to  care  for  the 
crop,  and  so  many  men  were  trying  the  same  experiment 
on  account  of  failure  in  other  crops,  that  the  price  of 
seeds  fell  ominously  low,  and  again  he  had  no  profit. 
Then  he  tried  market-gardening,  sure  that  this  would 
prove  successful ;  but  he  saw  that  it  was  not  profitable 
to  ship  his  fine  fruits  and  vegetables  to  distant  markets 
with  existing  railroad  rates,  and  that  his  product  glutted 
the  market  of  the  small  town  near  which  he  lived,  since 
it  seemed  there  were  not  enough  people  with  means 
to  buy  his  fine  melons  and  strawberries  at  a  living 
price. 

"  Men  are  starving  in  portions  of  the  world  not  far  off, 
in  fact,  just  about  us,"  said  John  to  himself,  many  times 
in  those  days;  "and  yet  I  cannot  sell  my  share  of  the 
fruits  of  the  earth ;  why  is  it  ?  My  corn  is  certainly 
not  on  my  hands  because  too  much  has  been  grown ;  for 
in  that  case  no  man  would  be  without  it,  and  yet  I  see 
no  way  of  effecting  a  distribution  which  will  fill  the 
stomachs  of  the  needy  and  give  me  a  profit." 

One  day  he  went  over  to  Leifert's,  on  an  errand,  and 
arrived  just  as  the  family  were  sitting  down  to  dinner. 
The  six  girls  of  the  household  always  had  a  melancholy 
effect  upon  John.  They  were  so  big,  so  coarse  and  so 
loud-voiced,  so  frankly  capable  of  pitching  hay  and 
hoeing  potatoes,  and  of  nothing  else,  that  some  hidden 
aesthetic  feeling  in  him  rebelled  against  them.  More- 
over he  had  always  a  conviction  that  they  were  victims 
of  their  father's  greed,  and  with  their  natural  endowment 
of  independence  and  vigor,  might  have  developed  into 
such  fine  creatures  if  they  had  only  been  given  an  oppor- 
tunity. The  youngest,  Marie,  was  just  putting  a  dish  of 
corn-bread  upon  the  table  as  John  entered.  She  was 


50  WHICH   WINS 

less  sun-  and  toil-hardened  than  her  sisters,  and  therefore 
perhaps  John  felt  the  fate  which  seemed  to  stretch  and 
darken  before  her,  more  keenly,  and  the  warmth  and 
cordiality  of  her  greeting  touched  him  at  once. 

"I  am  afraid  I  have  come  at  an  inopportune  time," 
began  John,  glancing  at  the  table. 

"Not  a  bit,  not  a  bit!"  cried  Leifert.  "Ve  ain't 
mooch  to  eat,  but  you  be  velcome  to  shust  vot  ve  got, 
Mr.  Thurston.  Marie,  pring  anoder  blate,  und  a  knife 
und  vork  fur  de  shentleman." 

John  drew  up  a  chair  for  fear  of  offending  his  hosts, 
though  he  felt  it  doubtful  whether  he  could  eat  a  mouth- 
ful. The  repast  certainly  was  not  appetizing.  Salt  pork, 
floating  in  a  liquid  deluge  of  fat ;  hard  corn  pone,  and 
thick  black  coffee  were  its  components ;  three  essentials 
which  John  had  observed  formed  the  diet  of  most  of  the 
people  in  the  neighborhood. 

"Mr.  Leifert,"  he  asked  somewhat  hesitatingly,  for 
fear  he  might  seem  to  reflect  upon  the  limited  char- 
acter of  the  meal  before  him,  "do  you  never  raise  vege- 
tables?" 

"  Nein,  nein,"  replied  Leifert ;  "  ve  not  mooch  fur 
greenstoof ;  ve  must  vork  to  make  our  bennies,  you  see, 
und  my  gals  dey  haf  not  time  to  cook  und  plough 
too." 

"  But  it  doesn't  take  much  time  to  raise  a  little  sweet 
corn  and  a  few  tomatoes  for  the  family,  and  it  adds  so 
much  to  your  comfort,"  insisted  John. 

"  Ya,  ya,  dot  do  werry  well  fur  rich  mans  like  you, 
Meester  Thurston,"  responded  Leifert ;  "  but  poor  folks 
like  us,  ve  lives  mighty  close,  mighty  close,  und  dere  is 
nodings  vot  cost  so  leedle  as  corn  pone  und  pork,  dot's  it, 
see  ? "  And  Leifert  lifted  a  large  slice  of  fat  to  his 
mouth,  launched  it  successfully,  and  wiped  his  lips  with 
apparent  appreciation. 


THE  UNIVERSAL  MORTGAGE  51 

"  And  don't  your  farm  pay  you  any  better  living  than 
that  ?  "  asked  John,  with  some  anxiety. 

"  De  farm  he  bay  werry  bad,"  explained  Leifert ;  "  he 
bay  wuss  und  wuss  all  de  time ;  ve  muss  eberyting  sell, 
duck  und  chicken  und  egg  und  milk,  und  eberyting, 
und  den  ve  shust  makes  no  livin'  at  all,  lives  like  de  pigs 
vot  ve  eats,  dot's  it." 

"  But  I  don't  see  why  that  is,"  replied  John  thought- 
fully ;  "  there  are  plenty  of  people  to  eat  what  you  raise, 
if  they  could  only  get  it ;  and  they  ought  to  pay  for  what 
they  eat,  I  am  sure." 

"  Ya,  dot's  it !  dot's  it ! "  cried  Leifert  excitedly.  "  Dere 
is  beobles  comin'  und  comin'  all  de  time.  Dey  takes  up 
de  land,  und  work  so  sheap  dey  raise  so  mooch  sfcoof  you 
can't  git  nodings.  Dese  damned  Irish  und  Franzosisch 
und  all  dese  oder  mans,  dey  make  so  many  farmers,  ve 
can't  git  nodings  fur  our  stoof,  und  ve  haf  to  bay  de 
most  fur  eberyting.  So  ve  can't  do  no  more  as  bay  de 
intrust  on  de  mortgage."  And  Leifert  brought  his  fist 
down  on  the  table  with  a  thud  and  accompanying  scowl, 
which  boded  no  good  to  the  "  Franzosisch"  who  he  evi- 
dently believed  were  at  the  bottom  of  his  misery. 

"  Have  you  a  mortgage  on  your  farm,  then  ?  "  asked 
John,  in  surprise. 

"  Oh,  ya,  who  haven't  got  ein  mortgage  ?  "  exclaimed 
Leifert,  in  an  exasperated  tone,  passing  his  cup  for 
another  allowance  of  the  thick  black  coffee.  "  If  I  had 
a  poy,"  he  added  sourly,  "ve  might  bay  it  off;  but  vot's 
a  man  to  do  mit  all  dem  vimmen  folks  ?  " 

John  glanced  around  at  the  "  vimmen  folks,"  to  catch 
some  look  of  reproach  in  their  heavy  eyes ;  but,  appar- 
ently they  were  too  much  accustomed  to  such  deprecia- 
tion to  take  umbrage  at  it.  Only  Marie  looked  up  and 
exclaimed,  "  Oh,  father !  you  know  we  do  more  than 
ten  boys,  you've  said  so  many  a  time." 


52  WHICH  WINS 

"Nein,  nein,"  replied  Leifert,  as  he  rose  slowly  from 
the  table,  wiping  his  mouth  with  his  coat-sleeve;  "ye 
kin  vork  like  steers,  but  ye  can't  blan  nodin',  ye  ain't 
got  no  men's  heads  on  ye  to  help  a  man  out."  Aud  with 
the  air  of  a  man  who  never  dreamed  of  having  his  opin- 
ions disputed,  Leifert  took  his  hat  and  stepped  out  into 
the  yard,  followed  obediently  by  five  of  his  amazon 
daughters. 

Marie  remained  behind,  and  John  watched  her  sym- 
pathetically, as  she  stepped  briskly  about  the  untidy 
kitchen,  putting  away  the  scant  remains  of  the  dinner ; 
and  caring  for  her  mother,  who  was  almost  helpless  from 
excessive  corpulence,  and  who  sat  in  the  doorway  throw- 
ing corn  to  the  chickens,  which  clustered  about  the 
steps. 

It  was  a  squalid,  unattractive  scene,  and  the  girl 
seemed  altogether  better  than  her  surroundings ;  would 
she  ever  rise  above  them  and  out  of  them,  he  wondered, 
away  from  the  discouraging  atmosphere  of  masculine 
detraction  in  which  she  lived  ? 

As  he  stood  thinking  behind  the  fat  old  woman,  his 
hands  in  his  pockets,  Marie's  voice  suddenly  struck  his 
ear. 

"  Does  your  mother  want  a  girl,  Mr.  Thurston  ?  "  she 
asked  quickly. 

"  Why,  no,  Marie,  I  think  not,"  replied  John,  looking 
at  the  girl's  rather  uncared-for  and  rough  exterior,  with 
an  instant  conviction  as  to  what  would  be  his  mother's 
verdict  in  regard  to  it.  "You  don't  want  a  place,  do 
you  ? "  he  added.  "  I  should  not  think  you  could  be 
spared." 

"Well,  I'll  have  to  be  spared!"  replied  Marie,  a  dark 
flush  rising  to  her  cheeks,  "  there's  five  besides  me,  and 
father  needn't  think  I'll  stay  and  slave  and  starve  for 
him  like  the  rest.  I'll  make  a  way  for  myself  somehow  !  " 


MARIE'S  DETERMINATION  53 

"  It's  hard,  Marie,"  said  John,  looking  sympathetically 
about  the  place,  and  then  back  to  the  girl's  moved  face. 
"  It's  hard,  especially  for  a  girl." 

"  Yes,  there  you  are,  just  like  all  the  others ! "  cried 
Marie  bitterly,  "but  I  tell  you  I'm  a-goin'  to  let  folks 
see  I  kin  do  somethin',  ef  I  was  born  a  girl !  "  and  Marie 
stood  with  folded  arms  looking  sullenly  out  across  the 
prairie,  as  if  fate  might  lie  there,  and  must  be  conquered 
at  any  cost. 

"  0  Marie,  you  be  so  bad,  so  bose,"  cried  her  mother 
peevishly ;  "  since  sie  ging  to  school  sie  ist  so  discontent 
alle  weile,  alle  weile,"  she  added  explanatorily  to  John. 
"Es  ist  nicht  gut  fur  wimmen  to  —  to  know  mooch  "  — 
she  concluded,  turning  her  fat  little  eyes  upon  John  as  if 
in  depreciation  of  any  wisdom  which  might  lurk  in  them 
unsuspected.  "  Marie  she  good-lookin'  gal,"  she  added, 
throwing  a  handful  of  corn  to  a  chicken  fluttering  hope- 
lessly on  the  outskirts  of  the  greedy  crowd  of  fowls, 
"  sie  konnte  git  married,  aber  sie,  —  sie  hat  so  viele 
notions,  you  see." 

John  turned  from  the  scene  with  an  odd  feeling  of 
suffocation.  The  girl  really  had  aspirations  then,  and  in 
that  place  !  Lifting  his  hat  he  turned  away,  and  mount- 
ing his  horse  rode  slowly  over  the  prairie  toward  the 
cottage  of  Maggie's  father,  who  had  squatted  on  one  of 
the  great  farms  of  the  neighborhood. 

As  he  rode  on  he  could  not  drive  away  a  haunting 
consciousness  of  the  misery  and  squalor  of  the  house- 
hold he  had  just  left ;  of  the  dawning  ambitious  in 
Marie's  mind,  which  would  be  so  difficult  to  realize,  so 
impossible,  as  he  reflected,  shaking  his  head.  But  under 
all,  and  through  all,  there  was  a  horrible  growing  sense 
of  consternation.  Supposing,  through  any  unforeseen 
accident,  his  mother's  bank  account  should  fail,  what 
would  keep  his  own  household  from  sinking  to  the  same 


54  WHICH  WINS 

condition  of  hopeless  poverty  as  the  one  he  had  just  left  ? 
With  a  shudder  John  remembered  the  monstrous  woman 
with  her  fat  eyes,  her  dirty  hands,  and  querulous  voice. 
And  yet,  what  kept  his  lady  mother  from  being  a  crea- 
ture of  that  sort  ?  John  shuddered,  realizing  suddenly 
the  effect  of  education,  of  surroundings  and  opportunity 
as  he  never  had  before ;  and  it  seemed  to  him  that  his 
own  culture  and  ease  had  been  almost  a  sin,  in  face  of 
the  world's  misery. 

He  rode  on  across  the  prairie  more  because  no  impera- 
tive business  drew  him  from  the  absorption  of  his  own 
thoughts,  than  because  he  had  any  especial  destination 
in  view.  During  the  last  few  months  he  had  drifted 
back  into  much  the  same  train  of  thought  as  that  which 
had  especially  occupied  him  at  Berlin ;  or  rather  he  had 
been  driven  to  it,  by  observation  of  the  life  about  him, 
and  of  the  struggle  to  keep  one's  head  above  water,  which 
seemed  to  be  so  universal.  For  some  time  previously, 
his  interest  in  the  farm,  and  his  effort  to  become  familiar 
with  its  management,  had  led  his  thoughts  into  more 
objective  and  practical  channels,  and  he  had  troubled  less 
about  humanity  and  its  possible  destiny ;  but  lately  all 
the  practical  experience  of  living  seemed  concentrating 
into  a  pained  realization  of  the  deeply  ingrained  wrong 
which  was  evident  in  the  condition  of  society,  and 
which  it  seemed  to  him  no  superficial  reforms  could 
touch. 

"  I'm  growing  to  be  a  regular  crank,  I'm  afraid,"  he 
thought  to  himself  as  he  rode  along.  "  I'll  have  to  go  off 
somewhere,  and  get  new  experiences,  or  I  shall  be  morbid 
and  narrow  ; "  and  John  sighed  a  long  sigh  as  his  gaze 
searched  the  prairie,  and  he  envied  those  anchorites  of 
the  olden  time  who  withdrew  themselves  from  the  world, 
and  thus  avoided  its  responsibilities  as  well  as  its 
temptations. 


AN  AMERICAN  EVICTION  55 

Something  which,  caught  his  eye  in  the  distance,  how- 
ever, made  him  quicken  his  pace  perceptibly.  He  was 
nearing  the  cottage  of  Maggie  Watson's  father,  and  an 
unusual  occurrence  was  evidently  going  on  there,  judg- 
ing from  the  little  crowd  gathered  about,  and  the  presence 
of  a  neighbor  whom  he  knew  to  fill  the  office  of  constable 
for  the  surrounding  district.  As  John  approached,  he 
saw  the  Watson  family  gathered  in  a  little  circle  around 
a  modest  heap  of  household  goods  which  constituted  all 
their  earthly  possessions.  Watson  was  talking  angrily 
to  the  constable,  and  Mrs.  Watson  sat  on  an  old  chest, 
holding  in  her  arms  an  infant  which  had  not  known 
many  days  of  earthly  misery,  while  Maggie,  her  eyes 
swollen  with  weeping,  was  trying  to  still  the  cries  of 
three  or  four  little  children  who  clustered  about  her. 
It  was  a  sharp  October  day,  and  John  noticed  how  thin 
the  shawl  was  which  Mrs.  Watson  had  drawn  around 
herself  and  the  puny  baby,  and  in  a  moment  he  had 
sprung  from  his  horse  and  thrown  his  overcoat  over  her 
shivering  shoulders. 

"  Why,  Watson !  what  does  this  mean  ?  "  he  asked, 
"  what  has  happened  to  you  ?  " 

Long  Watson,  as  he  was  generally  called,  was  a  tall, 
thin,  cadaverous-looking  man,  with  pale  eyes  and  hay- 
colored  hair,  and  a  general  appearance  of  having  suffered 
years  with  the  shaking  ague ;  though,  as  ague  is  said  to 
be  unknown  in  Nebraska,  his  pallor  must  have  been 
attributable  to  some  other  cause. 

"It's  just  this,  Mr.  Thurston,"  replied  Watson,  ex- 
citedly, "that  this  here  country  of  ourn  ain't  no  free 
man's  country,  no  more  !  When  a  honest  man  can't 
keep  a  roof  over  his  head,  an'  has  to  have  the  constable 
turn  him  out,  I  say  it  ain't  no  free  country  ! " 

"Yes,  Watson,  you  kin  talk  all  day,  but  ye  know 
very  well  ye  ain't  no  kind  o'  business  squattin'  on 


56  WHICH  WINS 

other  folks'  land,  air  ef  ye'd  V  gone  off  when  ye  was 
warned,  ye  wouldn't  V  ben  fired ! "  interrupted  the 
constable. 

"  Why,  are  you  turned  out  because  you  can't  pay  rent 
for  that  miserable  hovel  ? "  asked  John  in  surprise, 
looking  at  the  shanty  which  the  Watson  family  had 
occupied.  "  I  didn't  know  such  a  thing  was  possible  in 
this  country ! " 

"  Well,  ye  see,  sir,"  began  the  constable,  apologetically, 
"  Mr.  Bingham  he  owns  forty  thousand  acres  around 
here,  an'  he  won't  have  no  squattin'  nohow,  an'  Watson 
couldn't  pay  no  rent,  an'  he's  ben  warned  off  often 
enough,  an'  he  ain't  nobody  to  blame  but  his  own  self  for 
this  here." 

"  I'd  like  ter  know  how  a  man's  a-goin'  ter  pay  rent 
when  he  can't  git  nothin  to  eat  but  taters,"  interrupted 
Watson  vindictively ;  "  that's  all  we've  had  fur  a  month 
back,  an'  all  we  could  git,  an'  ef  I'd  'a'  had  a  gun,"  he 
added,  fiercely,  "  ye  wouldn't  'a'  got  me  out  o'  that  there 
shanty  nohow,  'thout  ye  set  it  afire  !  I've  ben  drove  out 
once  before,  an'  I  said  then  'twouldn't  happen  agin  with 
me  livin',  but  it  has  all  the  same !  "  and  Watson  lowered 
his  head  on  pretence  of  adjusting  the  bridle  of  the  lean 
old  mule,  by  which  he  stood,  and  blew  his  nose  with  a 
suspicious  resonance  as  a  plaintive  wail  from  the  weak 
little  baby  struck  his  ear,  and  he  saw  his  wife  press  it 
close  to  her  shivering  bosom,  in  a  vain  attempt  to  still 
its  cries. 

"  How  long  have  you  been  exposed  to  the  weather  in 
this  way  ? "  asked  John  with  a  wild  feeling  that  he 
would  like  to  set  fire  to  the  universe  in  order  to  warm 
Mrs.  Watson  and  the  baby. 

"They  turned  us  out  before  dinner,"  said  Maggie, 
beginning  to  sob  again  at  the  recollection,  "  an'  the 
baby  only  a  week  old,  an'  mother  that  weakly  she  kin 


A   DIET  OF  RAW  POTATOES  57 

hardly  stand,  an'  Johnny  sick  with  the  croup  last 
night "  — 

"  But  can't  you  find  some  shelter  ?  "  cried  John  in 
amazement ;  "  have  you  no  place  to  go,  no  friends  ?  " 

"Poor  folks  ain't  got  many  friends,"  said  Maggie 
bitterly.  "  Father  he  swore  he'd  go  back  in  the  house, 
'cause  he  wouldn't  see  his  folks  die  on  the  prairie ;  an' 
the  constable  an'  his  man  they's  jest  ben  a-fighting  of  us 
all  day." 

"  But  couldn't  you  build  a  fire  at  least  for  the  baby  ?  " 
asked  John,  horrified  at  such  a  state  of  things. 

"There  ain't  nothin'  to  build  it  with,  'thout  we  burn 
up  our  stuff,"  replied  Maggie  doggedly ;  "  the  last  two 
days  we's  et  our  taters  raw." 

John  looked  over  the  rolling  prairie,  treeless  like  all 
the  Nebraska  plains,  with  a  sensation  of  despair.  In 
this  country  of  rich  black  loam,  the  extortions  of  the 
railroads  made  corn  cheaper  to  burn  than  coal,  and  these 
poor  creatures  had  not  even  corn.  His  indignation  was 
fast  getting  beyond  the  bounds  of  prudence. 

"I  don't  know  what  good  reasons  you  may  have  for 
this  proceeding,"  he  said,  turning  to  the  officer,  "but  I 
am  sure  I  never  heard  of  anything  more  heartless.  The 
idea  that  a  man  with  forty  thousand  acres  of  land,  which 
hundreds  of  people  could  get  a  living  off  of,  turns  a 
little  family  with  a  new-born  baby  out  on  the  prairie ! 
I'll  wager  it's  the  only  family  on  the  place,  too ;  say, 
now,  is  there  a  single  household  farming  on  this  forty 
thousand  acres  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  don't  know  what  that  has  to  do  with  it,  Mr. 
Thurston,"  cried  the  constable  impatiently ;  "  the  ground 
belongs  to  Mr.  Bingham,  and  he  farms  it  to  make  money, 
an'  I  can't  see  as  how  it's  anybody's  business  but  his 
own  how  many  folks  there  is  on  it." 

"  It  ought  to  be  some  one's  business,  though,  and  it 


58  WHICH  WINS 

will  be  if  such  things  continue,"  exclaimed  John,  hotly. 
"  You  come  with  me,  Watson,"  he  added ;  "  there's  a 
little  shanty  on  my  place  that  will  shelter  you  for  the 
time  being,  and  you  shall  stay  in  my  house  to-night. 
Get  on  your  mule,  and  come  along  with  me ;  or  better 
still,  I'll  stay  with  the  children,  and  you  take  your  wife 
and  baby  over  to  my  place  with  the  horse ;  they'll  die 
if  they're  exposed  to  this  air  much  longer." 

As  John  turned  up  his  coat-collar  and  began  to  assist 
Mrs.  Watson  in  mounting  the  horse,  she  exclaimed  in 
that  weak,  querulous  treble  one  so  often  hears  in  hard- 
worked  women  of  middle  age,  — 

"  But,  Watson,  ye  ben't  goin'  to  leave  the  pertaters, 
be  ye  ?  " 

Watson  looked  wrathfully  at  the  constable,  who 
responded  with  some  heat,  — 

"  My  orders  is,  ma'am,  that  ye  don't  take  nothin'  off'n 
the  place  but  yer  own  traps,  an'  by  rights  ye  oughtn't 
ter  take  them,  sence  ye're  owin'  of  'em  fur  rent." 

"  An'  it's  all  we  hev  to  keep  us  from  starvin',  the  hull 
winter  through,"  said  Mrs.  Watson,  hugging  the  baby  up 
close  to  her,  and  beginning  to  cry.  "They're  no  good 
to  Bingham,  I'm  shore." 

"  But  really,  you  don't  mean  to  keep  these  poor  people 
from  harvesting  their  little  crop  of  potatoes  ? "  inter- 
rupted John,  turning  to  the  constable. 

"  I've  nothin'  to  do  with  it,  Mr.  Thurston,"  replied 
that  officer  impatiently ;  "  Mr.  Bingham  told  me  the 
potatoes  hed  to  stay,  an  stay  they  must,  I  s'pose." 

"  I  laid  out  all  the  ground  I  hed  in  taters,  ye  see," 
began  Watson  in  explanation,  waving  his  hand  towards 
the  large  field  about  the  house,  evidently  enriched  by  a 
plentiful  crop  of  that  edible,  "  'cause  I  knowed  they'd 
keep  us  in  eatin'  all  winter,  even  ef  they  wouldn't  sell, 
an'  blamed  fine  taters  they  is,  I  guarantee.  I  dug  a 


THE  LAW  AND  THE  SQUATTER  59 

cave  to  bury  'em  in  over  yander,  an'  I'd  'a'  had  'em 
all  harvested  ef  'twarn't  fur  a  job  I  got  with  a  neigh- 
bor a  week  back.  But  now  I'm  bounced,"  he  added 
dejectedly. 

"  And  do  you  actually  mean  to  keep  this  poor  fellow's 
potatoes  ? "  asked  John  again,  hoping  to  rouse  the 
sensibilities  of  the  constable. 

"  If  ye  had  any  sense,  ye'd  see  that  I  can't  do  nothin' 
here  but  obey  orders,"  responded  that  dignitary,  growing 
irate  with  a  sense  of  injured  innocence,  "and  I  don't 
see  no  use  in  wastin'  so  much  sympathy  on  trash  like 
this  here,  no  how,"  he  concluded,  looking  sourly  on, 
while  John  helped  Mrs.  Watson  on  his  horse,  and  saw 
her  ride  off  across  the  prairie,  followed  by  her  lean  hus- 
band astride  the  hardly  less  lean  mule.  Suddenly  a 
conception  flashed  upon  him  of  the  thing  he  had  done. 
What  would  his  mother  think  of  the  strange  cavalcade 
entering  her  dooryard,  and  still  more,  of  their  irruption 
into  her  proper  and  orderly  household  ?  He  very  much 
feared  that  her  sympathies  in  the  matter  would  rest 
entirely  with  Mr.  Bingham,  and  that  she  would  accuse 
him  of  harboring  shiftless  tramps  and  encouraging  men? 
dicancy ;  for  Mrs.  Thurston  had  never  been  much  troubled 
by  a  realization  of  the  brotherhood  of  humanity,  and 
her  connection  with  the  Associated  Charities  of  New 
York  had  not  tended  to  carry  such  a  sentiment  to  exag- 
geration. There  was  nothing  to  do  at  present,  however, 
but  let  matters  take  their  course,  and  the  baby  might 
touch  her  heart. 

Meanwhile  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  shivering, 
crying  children,  and,  after  a  few  words  to  Maggie  to  re- 
store her  failing  courage,  they  all  set  out  to  walk  toward 
the  Thurston  homestead,  preferring  not  to  wait  for  the 
wagon  which  was  to  rescue  the  beds  and  tables  from 
the  depredations  of  the  prairie  wolves.  John  adjured 


60  WHICH  WINS 

the  children  to  think  of  the  warm  supper  and  bright  fire 
awaiting  them,  and  forget  the  cold ;  but  they  shivered, 
nevertheless,  for  in  spite  of  hope  and  stoicism  a  wind- 
blown Nebraska  prairie  is  a  chilly  spot  in  October, 
especially  if  one  has  no  overcoat. 


A  PEEP  AT  NEW  YORK  61 


CHAPTER   VII 

A    PEEP    AT   NEW   YORK 

FATE  was  drawing  Stephen  Ward  into  very  different 
paths  from  those  John  Thurston  was  treading.  He  had 
been  called  home  from  Berlin  by  the  death  of  a  relative 
whose  heir  he  was,  and  who  had  left  him  a  legacy  of 
thirty  thousand  dollars.  With  this  fortune  in  hand  he 
lost  all  thought  of  pursuing  his  education,  and  deter- 
mined to  go  into  Wall  Street  with  the  hope  of  increas- 
ing his  small  patrimony.  By  successful  speculation,  at 
which  his  natural  shrewdness  and  love  of  money  soon 
made  him  an  adept,  he  very  soon  succeeded  in  doubling 
several  times  the  sum  he  had  inherited,  and  began  to 
feel  himself,  at  least  prospectively,  a  man  of  great 
wealth. 

He  did  not  enjoy  New  York,  however ;  he  wished  to 
find  a  field  where  his  money,  while  it  might  not  increase 
faster  (for  he  felt  that  he  could  make  money  anywhere) 
would  earlier  render  him  a  person  of  influence  and  im- 
portance in  the  community ;  and  he  listened  eagerly  to 
tales  of  Western  enterprise,  and  of  the  large  percentage 
to  be  gained  from  Western  investments. 

"  There's  nothing  like  real  estate,  after  all,"  he  said 
frequently,  when  speaking  of  securities,  "except  mort- 
gages, that  is;  for  when  you've  got  mortgages,  you're 
pretty  certain  of  real  estate,"  he  added,  with  a  meaning 
smile. 

Two  years  of  life  in  New  York,  with  access  to  a 
fashionable  circle,  and  constantly  increasing  fortune, 


62  WHICH  WINS 

Ward  had  found  very  pleasant,  and  he  had  experienced 
nothing  which  would  influence  him  to  alter  the  ideals 
with  which  he  had  left  Berlin  two  years  before.  In 
fact,  his  opinions  in  regard  to  wealth  and  luxurious 
enjoyments  had  rather  strengthened  than  otherwise. 
His  pleasure  in  those  things  which  appeal  directly  to 
the  senses  was  more  intense,  while  his  longing  for  joys 
of  an  intellectual  character  had  correspondingly  de- 
creased. Whereas  formerly  he  rather  prided  himself  on 
a  fondness  for  Shakespeare,  and  a  pseudo-critical  ac- 
quaintance with  Moliere,  he  now  read  Maupassant  and 
Rhoda  Broughton ;  and  though  he  had  some  knowl- 
edge of  music,  and  once  took  pleasure  in  airing  his 
appreciation  of  Beethoven  and  Wagner  or  Moskowsky, 
he  could  no  longer  be  induced  to  hear  anything  heavier 
than  light  opera,  and  demanded  that  this  should  be  put 
upon  the  stage  with  every  accessory  of  brilliant  costum- 
ing and  spectacular  effect. 

Though  he  refused  to  consider  any  but  material 
enjoyments,  he  was  not  vicious,  for  economy  struggled 
successfully  with  self-indulgence,  and  invaded  all  his 
temptations.  Instead  of  leading  a  fast  life,  he  sat  in  the 
luxurious  reading-room  of  the  club  and  read  Daudet's 
"  Sappho,"  in  paper  covers ;  and  though  his  mouth  coars- 
ened and  his  jaws  grew  heavy,  he  prided  himself  upon 
leading  a  pure  life,  when  really  his  thoughts  were  profli- 
gate, and  only  his  pocket  was  self-restrained. 

He  kept  handsome  apartments,  and  dined  at  a  fashion- 
able club,  because  he  took  pleasure  in  luxury,  and  be- 
lieved that  a  display  of  niggardliness  was  bad  policy  ; 
but  watchful  eyes  noticed  that  he  never  asked  others  to 
dine  with  him,  and  that  if  he  took  wine  the  remainder 
of  the  bottle  was  carefully  put  away  by  the  waiter  and 
served  to  him  next  day.  His  friends  declared  that  he 
breakfasted  and  lunched  at  unmentionable  restaurants, 


A  FKUITFUL  ECONOMY  63 

so  far  away  from  fashionable  haunts  that  he  was  sure  of 
encountering  no  acquaintances ;  that  he  would  not  send 
his  washing  to  a  laundry,  but  employed  a  poor  old 
char-woman  to  do  it  for  him,  whose  life  he  made  a  bur- 
den by  the  endless  repairing  of  linen,  and  darning  of 
socks,  for  which  he  refused  all  compensation  above  the 
price  he  had  agreed  to  pay  for  laundering  alone. 

He  was  an  omnivorous  reader  of  newspapers,  but  he 
took  no  periodical  himself,  and  was  sure  to  monopolize 
the  best  corner  and  the  most  attractive  page  in  the  reading- 
room,  to  the  frequent  disgust  of  other  habitues  of  the  place, 
who  suspected  his  motives,  and  envied  his  assumptions. 
One  evening  he  sat  in  his  usual  chair,  with  a  copy  of  the 
New  York  World  in  his  hand;  but  his  fancy  had  out- 
soared  the  printed  words  before  him,  and  he  was  lost  in 
a  revery  suggested  by  a  vivid  letter  he  had  been  read- 
ing, descriptive  of  placer  mining  in  Nevada.  Suddenly 
some  one  stood  before  him  with  outstretched  hand. 

"  Why,  Dysart !  "  he  exclaimed,  looking  up  in  astonish- 
ment. "  Where  did  you  drop  from  ?  " 

"  From  Kansas  City,  not  long  since,"  replied  the  other 
easily.  "  How  are  you  getting  on.  in  this  part  of  the 
world  ?  " 

"  Oh,  we're  never  behind  the  rest  of  creation  in  New 
York,  you  know,"  responded  Ward.  "  But,  my  dear  fel- 
low, I've  heard  of  your  town,  and  of  your  luck.  I  sup- 
pose a  man  can't  help  getting  rich  in  Kansas  City 
now  ?  " 

The  new-comer  wore  that  nonchalant  air  of  success 
and  confidence  which  money  seems  to  give  a  man  more 
than  anything  else ;  and  he  soon  fell  into  a  graphic  de- 
scription of  the  peculiarities  of  the  city  he  had  just  left, 
its  rapid  progress,  and  the  ease  with  which  money  could 
be  made  there. 

"  There  is  a  great  deal  more  romance  in  our  method  of 


64  WHICH  WINS 

speculating  than  in  yours,"  said  Dysart  enthusiastically. 
"Here  you  go  into  Wall  Street,  stand  by  a  'ticker,'  and 
shudder  or  rejoice  over  the  announcement  of  the  rise  or 
fall  of  your  stocks  ;  but  with  us  speculation  has  all  the 
variety  of  a  tournament  in  the  Middle  Ages.  First,  we 
watch  the  movement  of  a  '  boom,'  which  is  almost  as  de- 
vious in  its  passage  as  lightning,  and  may  take  its  course 
along  any  street.  Having  guessed  its  future  location, 
the  next  point  is  to  buy  up  the  property  in  the  line  of 
its  radius;  being  careful  not  to  warn  the  unconscious 
owners  of  the  prospective  rise  in  value.  This  feat  ac- 
complished, you  simply  walk  out  and  look  at  your  lots 
from  time  to  time,  and  call  yourself  ten  thousand  dollars 
richer  to-day,  twenty  thousand  to-morrow,  etc.,  etc.  It 
is  no  unusual  thing  for  property  to  sell  for  ten  times  its 
original  value  in  a  few  months.  Meanwhile  you  see  the 
locality  you  have  selected  populate  and  grow ;  fine  build- 
ings go  up  around  your  lot,  and  all  you  have  to  do,  to 
grow  richer  and  richer,  is  simply  to  '  hold  on,'  until  the 
simple  permanence  of  dirt  and  air  have  made  you  a 
millionnaire." 

"  But  supposing  you  buy  in  the  wrong  locality  ?  "  said 
Ward,  rubbing  his  hands,  and  gloating  over  the  prospect 
with  the  relish  of  an  epicure  before  a  dish  of  pate,  de 
foie  gras. 

"  Oh,  well,  you  mustn't  do  it,  you  know,"  replied 
Dysart;  "and  then,"  he  added,  pressing  his  lips  together 
and  winking  mysteriously,  "in  a  little  while,  you  know, 
you  can  direct  the  'booms.'  Buy  up  property  in  a  cer- 
tain quarter,  then  make  a  big  sale  there,  people  will  go 
crazy  immediately ;  and  if  you  think  the  spot  not  favor- 
able for  permanent  growth,  unload  quickly  and  with  as 
much  noise  as  possible." 

"  I  see,  I  see,"  remarked  Ward,  a  slow  smile  parting 
his  rather  full  lips.  "  I've  been  having  a  touch  of  the 


SOME   EVERY-DAY  SENTIMENTS  65 

Western  fever  myself  for  some  time,  and  your  description 
rather  heightens  it.  I  suppose  you've  been  very  success- 
ful yourself,  from  all  accounts,"  he  added  inquiringly. 

"  Yes ;  I  haven't  lost  ground,"  Dysart  admitted,  with 
becoming  modesty.  "  I  bought  a  tract  of  land  on  the 
outskirts  of  the  city  some  years  ago,"  he  continued ;  "  I 
got  it  of  country  folks  who  put  no  special  value  on  it,  so 
I  bought  it  for  a  mere  song.  "At  present  there  is  a 
smelter  on  it,  and  a  large  village,  most  of  which  I  still 
own,"  he  added,  laughing ;  "  and  a  good  many  of  the  origi- 
nal possessors  now  work  in  that  smelter,  and  growl  at 
me  as  a  bloated  capitalist." 

"  They  forget  that  they  had  the  same  opportunity  to 
bloat  as  yourself,"  commented  Ward,  rubbing  his  chin 
with  an  expression  of  great  self-satisfaction. 

"  Yes ;  and  you  see  the  average  man  can't  bear  to  have 
another  fellow  get  ahead  of  him,"  said  Dysart,  changing 
the  large  seal  ring  on  his  white  fingers  with  much  com- 
placency. "  There's  nothing  that  tells  so  quickly  as 
brains  in  this  world,"  he  added,  tapping  his  forehead 
significantly  ;  "  and  there's  nothing  so  hard  to  forgive  as 
other  people's  possession  of  them,  especially  if  their  de- 
ficiency helps  them  to  get  left ; "  and  Dysart  swelled  a 
little  with  a  consciousness  of  his  own  intellect,  and  fin- 
gered his  heavy  watchchain  as  if  he  were  appraising  the 
gray  matter  in  his  own  cranium. 

Ward  was  watching  him  with  a  new  light  in  his  small, 
sharp  eyes. 

"  Do  you  deal  in  mortgages  at  all  ?  "  he  asked,  as  if 
striving  to  remain  undazzled  by  Dysart's  prosperity.  "  I 
suppose  you  consider  them  good  investments  ?  " 

''  Oh,  yes,"  replied  the  other  with  some  indifference ; 
"  there  are  firms  that  make  a  specialty  of  them  ;  but  I've 
been  so  much  in  the  swim  of  regular  speculation,  that  I 
haven't  dabbled  much  in  that  line," 


66  WHICH  WINS 

"  They  say  the  Kansas  mortgages  are  becoming  quite 
a  feature  in  investments,"  said  Ward  thoughtfully. 

"  Yes,  yes,  of  course,"  replied  the  other.  "  You  catch 
a  man  with  a  fever  for  improvements,  or  short  crops,  and 
put  a  small  mortgage  on  his  farm,  and  the  next  thing 
you  know  you've  got  him  clean  through,  even  to  the 
shoes  on  his  feet,  if  you  want  to  take  'em,  saigner  a  blanc, 
as  the  French  say,  eh  ?  You're  sure  of  your  interest  for 
a  good  while,  and  a  big  return  on  your  money,  of  course ; 
but  I  haven't  gone  into  it  extensively  myself.  However, 
I  must  be  going ;  I'll  drop  in  on  you  again  before  I  leave, 
old  boy,  and  till  then,  ta-ta,"  and  the  rich  Westerner 
strutted  off,  breathing  prosperity  at  a  rate  which  Midas 
and  Pluto  together  could  hardly  have  compassed;  and 
Ward  sank  back  in  his  chair,  a  prey  to  visions  which 
pictured  the  career  of  a  Croesus,  piling  up  gold  with  dis- 
ordered haste,  buying  with  it  honor,  happiness  —  what 
could  it  not  achieve  in  the  light  of  desires  so  feverish 
for  its  possession  ? 

For  a  long  hour  he  sat  there ;  his  head  on  his  hand,  un- 
conscious of  all  motion,  all  thought  outside  of  himself ; 
absorbed  in  the  contemplation  of  future  wealth.  At 
last  he  rose  with  a  sigh,  called  for  his  overcoat,  and 
passed  out  into  the  brilliant  street. 

He  was  surprised  on  consulting  his  watch  to  find  that 
it  was  after  eleven  o'clock ;  but  he  went  on,  still  wrapped 
in  that  dream  which  is  so  often  an  earnest  of  what  real- 
ities become  to  us,  and  barely  conscious  of  the  passers-by, 
who  jostled  him  in  their  haste,  but  failed  to  rouse  him 
from  his  self-absorption.  Suddenly  his  ear  was  assailed 
by  a  thin,  sharp,  soprano  voice,  singing  an  air  from 
Trovatore,  and  as  he  came  within  the  glittering  area  of 
a  large  electric  light,  he  saw  a  pale-faced,  shabbily- 
dressed  woman,  standing  on  the  sidewalk,  singing  with 
all  the  power  of  a  pair  of  lungs  which  must  once  have 


AN  UNEXPECTED  ENCOUNTER  67 

breathed  the  air  of  Italy,  while  a  little  girl  beside  her 
shook  a  tambourine,  and  occasionally  presented  it  to  the 
hurrying  crowd  of  strangers. 

"  Good  heavens  !  what  an  outrage  on  the  public  ! "  was 
Ward's  first  thought.  "  The  woman  ought  to  be  put  in 
the  station.  I'll  go  and  find  a  policeman." 

He  stood  watching  her  a  moment,  however,  fascinated 
by  her  thin,  half-starved  face,  and  the  desperate  light 
in  her  eyes,  and  wondering  what  den  of  infamy  she  would 
seek  after  the  conclusion  of  her  concert,  for  the  poor 
were  all  rascals  in  Ward's  eyes,  when  he  suddenly  started 
forward  a  step  or  two  with  an  exclamation,  — 

" By  Jove!  it  can't  be!  Yes,  it  is,  true  enough,"  he 
muttered  under  his  breath,  "  I'd  know  her  anywhere." 

A  lady  hanging  on  the  arm  of  an  elderly  gentleman 
had  paused  before  the  shabby  singer,  and  Ward  saw  her 
place  a  coin  in  the  tambourine,  while  she  addressed  some 
questions  to  the  child.  In  a  moment  Ward  was  at  her 
side,  and  throwing  a  dollar  into  the  tambourine,  he  ex- 
tended his  hand,  exclaiming,  — 

"  Surely  I  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  Miss  Woolcott 
once  more  ?  " 

The  young  lady  who  was  tall,  and  fair,  and  altogether 
charming,  looked  at  the  stranger  with  a  puzzled  air,  while 
she  said  slowly,  — 

"  Really,  sir,  I  do  not  remember  to  have  seen  you." 

"Probably  not,"  responded  Ward,  handing  her  his 
card ;  "  but  if  you  will  pardon  me  for  recalling  myself  to 
your  recollection  so  summarily,  I  can  do  so.  The  pleas- 
ure I  took  in  hearing  you  play  once  in  Berlin,  has  never 
faded  from  my  memory  ;  and  though  I  am  taking  a  lib- 
erty in  speaking  thus  on  the  street,  I  felt  that  if  I  lost  you 
in  New  York  it  would  be  impossible  to  find  you  again." 
And  hesitating  for  a  moment,  Ward  stood  with  his  hat 
in  his  hand,  until  Miss  Woolcott  began  to  smile,  and  re- 


68  WHICH  WINS 

plied  ;  and,  introducing  him  to  her  companion,  permitted 
him  to  walk  along  with  them. 

"  This  is  very  unconventional,  Mr.  Ward,"  she  said 
frankly;  "but  I  remember  your  name,  and  knew  some 
of  your  friends  in  Berlin,  and  I  am  glad  of  an  opportu- 
nity to  thank  you  for  giving  a  dollar  to  a  poor  girl.  I  felt 
so  sorry  that  I  couldn't  give  her  more,  and  when  your 
dollar  fell  into  the  tambourine,  I  am  sure  I  was  almost 
as  happy  over  it  as  the  poor  thing  herself." 

Ward  smiled  as  he  reflected  that  his  dollar  was  well 
invested,  if  it  had  gone  to  encourage  mendicancy,  and  he 
did  not  leave  Miss  Woolcott  until  he  found  out  her  ad- 
dress, and  received  an  invitation  to  call. 

As  he  returned  to  his  bachelor  quarters,  and  settled 
himself  before  the  bright  coal  fire,  his  thoughts  took 
quite  a  new  and  unexpected  turn,  and  a  series  of  possi- 
bilities wove  themselves  into  a  chain  which  his  fancy 
would  hardly  have  tolerated  twenty-four  hours  before.  He 
thought  of  Miss  Woolcott's  fortune,  and  what  a  piece  of 
good  luck  its  inheritance  had  been  for  her  at  a  critical 
moment  of  her  career. 

"Twenty  thousand  dollars  is  not  a  bad  dowry,"  he 
mused,  "  when  one  gets  with  it  a  girl  so  beautiful  and 
accomplished  as  Miss  Woolcott.  One  would  not  be 
tempted  to  take  a  homely  woman  with  that  fortune,  but 
Miss  Woolcott  would  always  be  a  credit  to  a  man's 
taste,  while  her  music  must  make  her  distinguished 
anywhere." 

"  Of  course,  she'd  have  to  give  up  playing  in  public,"  he 
reflected,  feeling  already  the  marital  delights  of  owner- 
ship, "  I  never  could  tolerate  that ;  but  the  very  fact  of 
her  keeping  such  a  talent  for  the  gratification  of  her  hus- 
band alone,  would  make  it  a  rarer  privilege  to  hear  her, 
and  reflect  more  distinction  upon  her  husband.  There  is 
nothing  like  hedging  things  about  with  difficulty  to  make 


WARD'S  EMOTION"  69 

them  appreciated,"  he  added,  with  a  smile  which  was 
both  cunning  and  self-satisfied. 

For  a  long  time  Ward  sat  before  the  fire  building  a 
future  in  the  dancing  flames,  and  in  the  crumbling  castles 
of  falling  ashes. 

"  I  believe  I'm  in  love  with  that  girl,"  he  exclaimed 
at  last,  slapping  his  knees  with  emphasis,  "  but  I  must 
get  hold  of  her  money  too.  I'll  find  out  if  there  are  any 
restrictions  as  to  its  investment.  It  doesn't  bring  five 
per  cent  now,  I'll  warrant,  and  what  does  a  girl  like  that 
know  about  handling  money  anyway  ?  She'd  give  every 
cent  of  it  to  the  beggars  in  no  time,  I'll  venture.  It 
would  be  a  mercy  if  some  one  took  care  of  it  for  her." 


70  WHICH  WINS 


CHAPTER  VIII 

WATSON    ON    THE    LAND    QUESTION 

THERE  are  days  upon,  the  farm  so  idyllic  that  one 
remembers  them  forever  after,  as  glimpses  of  what  the 
soul  can  do  when  it  is  removed  from  the  noisy  whirl  of 
earthly  cares  and  perplexities,  the  bustle  and  confusion 
of  city  life.  John,  found  many  days  of  that  sort,  even 
when  the  anxieties  of  how  he  should  make  his  two  ends 
meet,  began  to  weigh  upon  him  heavily,  and  there  were 
certain  moments  in  the  evening,  when  the  supper  was 
over,  and  the  cares  of  the  day  laid  aside,  when  the  fire- 
flies were  glancing  hither  and  thither  over  the  prairie, 
and  the  night  wind  stirred  the  tops  of  the  long  grass 
into  a  gentle  sighing,  to  which  he  always  looked  for- 
ward. Certain  moments  in  the  morning  were  delightful 
also,  when  the  sun  had  just  risen,  and  the  world  glis- 
tened in  its  dewy  freshness  as  if  new-born,  and  the  air 
was  so  pure  and  fresh  that  it  seemed  almost  a  desecra- 
tion to  breathe  it. 

John  threw  himself  down  in  the  grass  sometimes,  in 
a  shady  corner  by  the  barn,  and  dreamed  dreams  and 
saw  visions  which,  however  they  may  have  been  scorned 
by  a  practical  man  of  affairs,  were  exceedingly  fruitful 
in  spiritual  growth  to  himself.  For  there  are  occasion- 
ally voices  in  the  breeze,  and  meanings  in  the  waving 
grass,  which  the  hurried  and  excited  mind  must  lose, 
but  which  are  full  of  significance  to  him  who  can  stop 
long  enough  to  seize  them. 

John  found  in  these  moments  of  rest  and  abstraction, 
that  his  thoughts  flowed  on  with  marvellous  clearness, 


JOHN'S  PHILOSOPHY  71 

and  that  he  saw  connections  and  comprehended  mean- 
ings in  causes  and  events,  which  had  before  seemed 
entirely  remote  from  each  other.  Sometimes  in  these 
periods  of  abstraction  it  even  seemed  to  him  that  his 
eagerness  for  the  material  betterment  of  humanity  was 
a  mistake. 

"  Why  can't  they  learn  that  joy  must  come  from 
within  ?  "  he  cried,  "  and  that  material  comfort  and  ease 
do  not  bring  happiness.  And  yet  we  cannot  learn  that 
until  our  bodies  have  rested  long  enough  to  give  our 
minds  a  chance  to  rise  and  grasp  the  higher  spiritual 
truth  in  the  universe.  If  I  had  pounded  stone  and  dug 
potatoes  all  my  life,  I  never  should  have  perceived  that 
immunity  from  such  work  does  not  result  in  happiness, 
and  I  suppose  a  desire  for  ease  and  plenty  is  the  nat- 
ural forerunner  of  a  knowledge  which  teaches  us  that 
these  delights  are  not  essential  to  the  well-being  of  a 
highly  developed  human  creature." 

The  necessity  for  practical  labor,  meanwhile,  made 
these  moments  of  spiritual  speculation  and  exaltation 
comparatively  limited  in  the  busy  every-day  life  of  the 
farm ;  and  John  was  frequently  startled  from  them  by 
the  cry  that  the  cattle  had  stampeded,  or  the  horses 
were  out  of  the  corral,  or  by  the  blowing  of  the  dinner- 
horn  maybe;  and  though  they  followed  him  as  an  under- 
current all  through  his  busy  life,  they  never  rose  to  a 
point  of  opposition  with  it,  but  only  sweetened  and 
broadened  it,  giving  it  a  significance  and  fulness  it 
might  otherwise  have  lacked. 

His  interest'  in  every  one  about  the  place  was  pro- 
found and  sympathetic ;  and  he  entered  as  heartily  into 
Carl's  love  affairs,  and  his  mother's  discontent  with 
Maggie's  "uppishness,"  as  into  his  own  speculations 
regarding  the  voices  of  the  night  wind.  Since  the  Wat- 
son family  were  domiciled  upon  the  place,  Maggie  fre- 


72  WHICH  WINS 

quently  filled  gaps  in  the  domestic  difficulties  with 
which  Mrs.  Thurston  was  oppressed,  and  that  lady  was 
divided  between  disgust  at  the  girl's  lack  of  sense  of  her 
real  condition,  and  impatience  with  her  father's  "  incen- 
diarism," as  she  called  it. 

"  Foreigners  ! "  she  would  exclaim  with  decision. 
"  I'd  like  to  see  a  German  socialist  or  a  Russian  nihilist 
that's  more  of  a  dynamiter  than  that  Watson,  John.  I 
don't  see  how  you  can  stand  him  round  the  place.  It's 
very  easy  to  see  where  Maggie  gets  her  notions." 

Meanwhile,  nothing  delighted  "  Long  Watson  "  more 
than  talking  over  social  questions  with  Mrs.  Thurston. 
He  would  lounge  into  the  kitchen,  ostensibly  to  ask  for 
a  glass  of  water  or  something  of  the  sort,  and,  supporting 
his  lank  form  against  the  chimney  corner,  would  ask  a 
question  or  make  a  remark  which,  as  he  expressed  it, 
would  "make  Mis'  Thurston  spit  fire." 

"  I  'spose  you  think,  Mis'  Thurston,"  he  said,  coming 
into  the  kitchen  one  afternoon  to  prepare  some  molasses- 
and-water  to  carry  out  to  the  field,  "as  how  a  man  as 
don't  pay  no  rent,  ain't  no  right  to  live  on  a  place  ?  " 

"That's  just  exactly  what  I  think,  Watson,  and  I 
don't  know  a  respectable  person  who  thinks  anything 
else,"  responded  Mrs.  Thurston,  pausing  in  her  process 
of  kneading  bread,  and  answering  with  great  decision. 

"Well,  now,"  began  Watson  meditatively,  "ye  see 
I'm  allays  a-studyin'  about  things,  Mis'  Thurston,  an' 
I've  read  a  good  many  books  here  an'  there,  an'  ye  know, 
they  do  say,  as  how  the  earth  properly  belongs  to  man 
to  till,  an'  there  ain't  no  sense  in  makin'  him  pay  rent 
fur  it.  '  Long  in  Bible  times  now,  ye  don't  hear  o'  speki- 
latin'  in  land,  an'  ef  a  man  wanted  a  piece  o'  ground,  he 
jist  seemed  to  go  an'  take  it." 

"Mr.  Watson!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Thurston,  "don't  you 
go  to  quoting  socialistic  doctrines  from  the  Bible.  I've 


WATSON'S  DOCTKINE  73 

heard  'most  everything  proved  from  it,  but  you're  the 
first  one  to  try  and  make  God  out  teaching  Socialism. 
There's  the  commandment,  'Thou  shall  not  covet  thy 
neighbor's  house  ; '  how  can  you  get  around  that,  I'd  like 
to  know  ?  "  and  Mrs.  Thurston  stopped  with  a  triumph- 
ant inflection  in  her  voice,  which  made  one  feel  that 
her  adversary  was  annihilated. 

"  Oh,  well,  that's  later,  you  know,  I  s'pose,"  replied 
Watson,  shifting  uneasily  from  one  foot  to  the  other. 
"  But  there's  Abram  now,  you  never  hear  o'  him  payin' 
no  rent  fur  grazin'  privileges,  do  ye  ?  or  Noah  neither ; 
d'ye  s'pose  the  Lord  took  a  third  o'  his  crops  when  he 
landed  on  top  of  Ararat  ?  Ye  see,  the  furder  ye  git 
back,  Mis'  Thurston,  the  more  ye  find  that  land  was 
common  prop'ty,  an'  the  Lord  He  seemed  to  feel  as  how 
he  wanted  each  one  on  us  to  have  his  bit  o'  ground  to 
git  his  livin'  off'n." 

"  Well,  it's  just  such  ideas  as  those  that  make  tramps, 
Watson,"  said  Mrs.  Thurston,  "and  if  you  would  put 
them  out  of  your  head,  and  go  to  laying  up  your  wages, 
you'd  get  along  better.  You  ought  to  let  foolish  books 
alone  that  you  don't  understand,  and  think  a  little  more 
of  your  family,"  she  added,  putting  her  bread  in  the  pans 
with  decisive  little  pats,  and  turning  her  back  on  Watson. 

"  Lord  now,  Mis'  Thurston,"  began  that  incorrigible, 
"how's  a  man  a-goin'  to  lay  up  money  with  a  family  the 
size  o'  mine,  an'  nothin'  to  live  on  ?  It's  thinkin'  o'  my 
family  that's  kep'  me  pore,  I  reckon  ;  ye  see,  I'm  not  like 
one  o'  them  there  reg'lar  tramps  that  kin  shift  fur  him- 
self an'  don't  keer  much  ef  he  comes  up  hind-side  before. 
I've  allays  ben  a-tryin'  to  git  hold  of  a  leetle  land  fur 
the  babies,  an'  no  luck  a-doin'  on't,  an'  so  I  keep  up  a 
turrible  thinkin'  all  the  time,  but  I  s'pose  a  feller  ain't 
no  right  to  think  ef  he  ain't  got  a  nickel,"  he  added  with 
a  rueful  glance  at  Mrs.  Thurston's  back  hair. 


74  WHICH  WINS 

"  You'd  better  learn  not  to  be  covetous,  Watson,  and 
then  perhaps  the  Lord  will  give  you  what  you  want," 
responded  Mrs.  Thurston  piously ;  "  the  Lord  doesn't 
love  a  covetous  man  or  a  grasping  man,  Watson." 

"  Well,  them's  the  fellers  that  gits  along  all  the  same," 
said  Watson  with  an  obstinate  sticking  to  the  point  that 
was  very  exasperating.  "I  reckon  them  millionnaires 
the  country's  so  full  of,  must  'a'  ben  covetous  when  they 
started  out,  an'  ef  money's  a  sign  o'  the  Lord's  love, 
they'll  hev  a  high  place  in  heaven,  an'  that  there  Bible 
verse  about  the  rich  man  an'  the  camel's  a  bad  translation 
maybe." 

"  Watson,  it's  very  wicked  to  be  always  judging  a  man 
because  he  has  money,"  remarked  Mrs.  Thurston  sol- 
emnly; "you  laboring  men  make  a  great  mistake  in 
thinking  that  a  man  can't  grow  rich  without  being  dis- 
honest. There  are  plenty  of  millionnaires  who  deserve 
all  they  have,  and  give  generously  to  the  poor,  and  you 
ought  to  respect  them  for  their  liberality  and  push, 
instead  of  being  jealous  of  their  success ;  for  that's  all 
your  talk  amounts  to,  it's  all  pure  jealousy." 

"  But,  Mis'  Thurston,  it  all  come  from  bein'  covetous 
in  the  first  place,"  exclaimed  Watson,  returning  to  the 
first  point,  while  the  feeling  in  his  face  deepened  until 
its  humor  was  quite  obliterated.  "In  olden  times  the 
land  belonged  to  the  hull  town,  an'  there  wan't  no  rich 
an'  no  poor,  an'  a  tramp  warn't  never  heerd  on,  but  jist 
so  soon  ez  folks  begun  to  git  covetous  enough  to  take 
the  land  fur  their  own  selves,  then  the  tramps  begun  to 
git  took  up,  'cause  they  hadn't  no  ground  to  work  no 
more.  Say,  Mis'  Thurston,"  continued  Watson,  "do 
you  want  ter  know  when  this  here  blessed  land  of  ourn 
was  fust  took  from  the  people  ?  " 

"  Watson  ! "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Thurston,  "  you  go  out  of 
my  kitchen  with  your  wicked  talk,  and  take  that  mo- 


THE  LAND  AND  THE  LAW  75 

lasses-and-water  to  the  men.  The  idea  that  the  land  I 
bought  and  paid  for  doesn't  belong  to  me  !  It  always 
did  belong  to  some  one,  and  was  bought  from  the 
Indians  by  the  white  men,"  she  added.  "  You  make 
me  fairly  sick." 

"  Don't  you  git  mad  now,  Mis'  Thurston,"  responded 
Watson,  moving  toward  the  door,  "  I'm  a-goin'  right  off, 
but  jist  lemme  give  ye  one  fact  afore  I  go." 

"I  don't  want  any  facts,"  cried  the  lady,  coming 
toward  him  with  a  threatening  motion  of  the  towel  upon 
which  she  was  wiping  her  hands.  Watson  backed  out, 
laughing  in  great  amusement,  but  once  outside,  he  depos- 
ited his  jug  carefully  upon  the  walk,  and  waiting  till 
Mrs.  Thurston  was  once  more  absorbed  in  her  domestic 
affairs,  he  put  his  head  in  at  the  door. 

"I  jist  wantter  ask,"  he  remarked  deprecatingly,  "as 
how  ef  ye  thought  as  how  Henry  VII.  was  a  good 
king  ?  " 

"  Why,  I  suppose  he  was  good  enough ;  I  don't  remem- 
ber, I'm  sure,"  said  Mrs.  Thurston,  trying  to  recollect 
whether  she  had  measured  out  two  cups  of  flour  or  three 
for  her  biscuits. 

"Well,"  continued  Watson,  preparing  for  a  rapid 
retreat,  "  it  was  him  as  fust  'lowed  that  a  man  could  be 
turned  out  fur  not  payin'  rent,  an'  that  year  they  hung 
two  thousand  tramps  in  England." 

Mrs.  Thurston  turned  with  a  sudden  upward  motion 
of  her  floury  hands,  and  Watson  fled,  chuckling  to 
himself  as  he  ran. 

"Bat  ain't  it  queer,"  he  reflected  as  he  sank  into  a 
slower  walk,  "that  them  as  hain't  had  an'  lost,  don't 
keer  to  do  much  thinkin'.  Now  I  reckon  ef  I  hadn't 
gone  an'  lost  my  farm,  I  wouldn't  never  'a'  keered  nothin' 
'bout  Henry  hangin'  them  tramps :  but  being  one 
myself,  I  naterally  take  an  interest  in  'em.  There's 


76  WHICH  WINS   , 

Thurston  now,  he  told  me  he  hadn't  nothin',  'twas  all  his 
mother's,  an'  he  knowei  all  about  that  there  tramp  story, 
an'  Henry  VII.,  said  'twas  all  true,  every  word  on't,  only 
'twas  Henry  the  VIII.  did  the  hangin' ;  but  I'll  wager 
Bingham,  now,  wouldn't  hear  to  it,  no  more'n  Mis' 
Thurston,"  and  Watson  shook  his  head  thoughtfully, 
and  hastened  his  steps  as  he  heard  the  men  calling  to 
him  from  the  field,  and  wondering  if  he  was  waiting  for 
the  molasses  to  freeze.  A  sarcasm  which  Watson 
deprecated  by  the  remark  that  any  feller  as  knowed 
molasses,  knowed  'twas  like  philosophy,  an'  he  never 
could  divide  'em  ;  an'  so  ef  ye  sent  him  after  molasses, 
ye'd  know  he'd  haf  ter  talk  philosophy  while  he  was 
a-gittin'  of  it,  an'  needn't  calkerlate  on  his  bein'  swift. 

Watson's  philosophy  was  a  matter  of  a  good  deal  of 
interest  to  John.  He  found  him,  like  many  other  men 
who  have  the  under  side  of  life,  capable  of  a  good  deal 
of  earnest  thinking,  and  never  forgot  the  significance  of 
the  conversation  in  which  Watson  told  him  how  he  had 
lost  his  farm. 

It  was  a  long  story  of  hardship  and  toil,  including  all 
the  anxieties  of  reclaiming  the  wild  prairie  land,  and 
how  the  struggle  ended  at  last,  and  Watson  found  him- 
self with  a  good  house  and  a  well-stocked  farm. 
Prosperity  dazzled  him  a  little  perhaps  ;  at  any  rate,  he 
borrowed  a  thousand  dollars  at  ten  per  cent  interest,  and 
then  his  troubles  began.  One  moonlight  night  as  he  and 
John  drove  in  from  Felton,  the  nearest  town,  Watson 
explained  the  mystery  of  the  tragedy  which  has  over- 
whelmed so  many  farmers  in  the  last  decade. 

"  It  wasn't  a  very  large  debt,  Watson,"  said  John  sym- 
pathetically, "  but  I  suppose  you  never  got  it  paid  off." 

"  Paid  off,"  repeated  Watson  ruefully ;  "well,  I  should 
say  not ;  the  only  comfort  I  git  out'n  it,  is  knowin'  jist 
why  I  didn't  pay  it  off." 


WATSON'S  EXPLANATION  77 

"  I  shouldn't  think  there  would  be  much  comfort  in 
that,"  remarked  John,  looking  off  with  delight  through 
the  clear  silvery  distance,  to  the  misty  horizon  far  away, 
where  perception  ended  and  a  mysterious  possibility 
began. 

"  Oh,  there's  lots  o'  comfort  in  it,  'cause  it  keeps  me 
from  worryin',"  replied  Watson  ;  "  look  a-here  now,  I  paid 
ten  per  cent  interest  on  a  thousand  dollars,  that's  a 
hundred  dollars  a  year,  ain't  it  ?  Now  when  I  began, 
ye  see,  that  meant  any  one  o'  these  yere  :  eighty  bush- 
els o'  wheat,  a  hundred  and  sixty-five  bushels  o'  oats, 
a  hundred  and  twenty-five  bushels  o'  corn,  two  hun- 
dred and  thirty  pounds  o'  butter,  six  hundred  and  fifty 
pounds  o'  pork,  an'  a  hundred  and  seventy  pounds  o' 
wool." 

"  Did  you  count  that  all  up  before  you  borrowed  ?  " 
asked  John,  returning  from  the  horizon  to  scan  his  com- 
panion's face  with  sudden  curiosity. 

"  Sartin,"  replied  Watson,  guiding  the  carriage  out  of 
a  deep  rut  with  careful  attention.  "  I  was  dead  sure  o' 
payin'  off  that  ere  mortgage  inside  o'  three  year.  Folks 
gen'ally  is  when  they  borrys  money.  It's  a  cur'ous  thing 
how  easy  'tis  to  make  money  on  paper,  an'  how  the 
times  gen'ally  busts  ye  up,"  continued  Watson. 

"  But  what  was  the  trouble  with  you  ?  "  asked  John 
gently,  for  he  felt  that  Watson  was  revealing  something 
which  he  did  not  often  speak  of,  and  he  respected  his 
confidence. 

"  Well,  ye  see,"  said  Watson,  "  'twan't  me  at  all,  'twere 
the  cussed  times,  I  reckon ;  they  kep  a-gittin'  wuss  an' 
wuss  ;  the  babies  kep  a-comin'  too ;  Lord  knows  I  never 
did  mind  the  babies,  but  I  kep  a-payin'  more  an'  more 
on  that  ere  mortgage.  By  an'  by  I  got  it  renewed  fur 
seven  per  cent ;  but  by  that  time  the  times  was  so  hard, 
'stid  o'  eighty  bushels  o'  wheat,  I  had  to  sell  nigh  two 


78  WHICH  WINS 

hundred ;  'stid  o'  the  hundred  and  sixty-five  oats,  there 
was  four  hundred ;  it  took  near  fifteen  hundred  pounds 
o'  pork  'stid  o'  six  hundred  and  fifty,  an'  everything  else 
in  proportion.  Course  I  couldn't  make  nothin'  pay  in' 
out  like  that,  an'  things  kep  a-goin'  wuss,  till  finally  the 
constable  come,  an'  we  left.  'Twere  a  sad  day,  I  tell  ye," 
said  Watson,  drawing  his  cuff  across  his  eyes.  "  We  ben 
turned  out  many  a  time  sence,  but  my  ole  woman  she 
never  got  over  that  fust  leavin'." 

"  The  times  are  very  hard  for  the  poor  nowadays, 
Watson,"  said  John,  "  and  there's  no  justice  in  the 
proportion  of  blessings  society  metes  out  to  the  starving 
and  the  prosperous.  People  are  fond  of  saying  that 
God's  law  regulates  our  kind  or  unkind  fortune,  but  I 
don't  believe  in  any  such  infernal  providence  as  that. 
It  seems  to  me,-  man's  selfishness  has  reached  almost 
the  last  point  of  exaggeration.  If  Christians  can  feast 
luxuriously  and  contentedly  while  their  brothers  starve, 
—  even  help  starvation  sometimes  by  the  \vages  they 
pay  their  employees,  —  there  is  very  little  of  God  in  it ! 
But  I  am  talking  anarchy,  Watson,"  exclaimed  John, 
breaking  off  with  a  short  laugh  ;  "  it  isn't  best  to  think 
much  in  these  days ;  one  gets  desperate."  And  John 
took  the  reins,  and  absorbed  himself  in  driving,  which 
the  rough  roads  made  a  business  requiring  some  care. 

His  thoughts  would  not  be  silenced,  however ;  and  the 
wonderful  moonlight  which  was  matchless  on  these 
Nebraska  prairies,  John  thought,  failed  to  resume  its 
customary  sway  over  him.  Many  a  night  he  had  driven 
home  under  its  influence,  scarcely  knowing  whether  he 
had  parted  company  with  his  body  or  not,  so  transformed 
was  the  world  by  the  spell  of  mystical  radiance  over- 
hanging it,  and  so  inthralled  were  the  senses  by  an  at- 
mosphere in  which  they  seemed  to  gain  strange  and 
unaccustomed  powers. 


THE  FACE  IN  THE  MOONLIGHT  79 

The  trees  tossing  gaunt  shadowy  arms  against  the 
silver  prairie,  did  they  speak  ?  or  was  it  merely  fancy 
which  fashioned  sounds  fitted  to  those  weird  gesturings 
into  which  the  breeze  enticed  them ;  and  the  soft  clouds 
through  which  the  great  moon  now  and  then  peeped,  as 
though  mocking  at  such  vaporous  attempts  to  hide  her 
brightness,  were  they  souls  which  faded  and  breathed 
afresh  in  ever-nascent  forms,  or  only  a  chemical  re- 
sultant of  moisture  and  light  ?  One  never  stops  to 
question  at  the  moment,  the  spell  of  enchantment  is  too 
strong  for  merely  human  reason,  and  at  such  times  John 
forgot  everything  earthly  except  one  fair  woman's  face, 
which  found  a  place  in  his  moonlit  dreams,  perhaps, 
because  he  never  gave  it  any  conscious  prominence  in  his 
real  practical  life.  If  it  occasionally  flitted  into  his  day- 
time planning,  he  banished  it  peremptorily ;  and  so  in 
retaliation  it  usurped  the  moonlight,  and  gave  a 
seductive  color  to  every  cloud-wraith  which  played  saucy 
pranks  with  my  lady  moon. 

This  night,  however,  the  face  was  absent.  Watson's 
story  had  made  the  present  too  practical,  too  vivid,  and 
dream  figures  fled  before  the  stern  realities  which  con- 
jured themselves  in  John's  anxious  brain. 


80  WHICH  WINS 


CHAPTER   IX 

WHAT   HAPPENS    WHEN   THE   BANK    FAILS 

A  FEW  days  afterward  John  drove  to  town  again,  and 
lie  came  home  with  a  letter  for  his  mother,  bearing  the 
name  of  her  lawyer  in  the  corner.  His  thoughts  were 
so  full  of  anxious  planning  connected  with  the  affairs  of 
the  farm,  that  he  thought  little  of  the  letter,  and  was 
therefore  quite  unprepared  for  the  state  in  which  he 
found  his  mother,  as  he  entered  the  house  somewhat 
later  upon  an  errand. 

Mrs.  Thurston  was  not  a  woman  to  give  way  easily  to 
despair ;  but  John's  remarks  some  time  before  upon  the 
financial  condition  of  the  farm  business  had  made  a 
deep  impression  upon  her,  and  a  sudden  realization  of 
poverty  was  almost  more  than  she  could  bear.  The 
letter  John  brought  was  from  her  lawyer,  and  contained 
the  announcement  that  the  bank  in  which  she  held 
stock  in  New  York  City  had  closed  its  doors.  Mr. 
Allworth  went  on  to  say,  that  he  feared  the  affair  was  a 
bad  failure.  The  bank  had  been  tempted  into  specula- 
tion, and  had  lost  heavily  by  the  dishonesty  of  a  trusted 
officer.  He  would  of  course  look  closely  after  the  inter- 
est of  his  client,  he  said,  but  he  feared  there  was  almost 
no  hope  of  recovering  even  a  small  percentage  of  the 
sum  she  had  lost. 

Mrs.  Thurston  sat  down,  after  she  had  read  the  letter, 
with  that  dull,  cold  feeling  one  has  at  times,  as  if  one's 
veins  had  been  filled  with  lead.  Her  life  had  been  an 
unusually  quiet  and  even  one,  and  she  never  had  Con- 
templated the  possibility  that  she  might  be  visited  by 


MRS.    THURSTON'S  MISFORTUNE  81 

losses  and  misfortunes  such  as  overwhelmed  less  fortu- 
nate members  of  society.  She  sat  down,  therefore,  with 
no  strength  to  bear  a  shock  which  was  utterly  unexpected ; 
and  though  the  morning  was  a  very  busy  one,  and  she 
was  in  the  midst  of  her  preparations  for  dinner,  she 
continued  to  sit  still,  thinking  confusedly  of  what  would 
become  of  John,  of  how  soon  the  mortgage  on  the  farm 
would  be  due,  and,  through  all  the  medley  of  her  thoughts, 
conscious  of  a  dull  feeling  of  God's  injustice  in  visiting 
this  upon  her. 

John,  coming  in,  found  her  thus,  quite  pale  and 
dazed. 

"  Why,  mother,  are  you  ill  ?  "  he  exclaimed :  "  what's 
the  matter  ?  " 

"John,"  she  gasped,  handing  him  the  letter,  "the 
bank  has  failed  !  " 

"  The  bank  failed  !  "  cried  John,  seizing  the  letter,  and 
for  a  moment  he  stood  appalled  at  the  prospect  before 
him.  He  had  put  a  mortgage  upon  his  farm,  and  given 
a  note  for  the  major  portion  of  his  farm  implements, 
preferring  to  leave  his  mother's  fortune  as  largely 
untouched  as  possible,  and  expecting  fully  that  in  time 
he  could  liquidate  all  liabilities  from  the  success  of  his 
new  enterprise.  Lately,  however,  experience  had  made 
him  very  doubtful  of  this,  and  he  had  thought  of  his 
mother's  comfortable  income  with  deep  content,  but 
with  a  haunting  fear  of  possible  misfortune  connected 
with  it,  which  took  the  sense  of  surprise  from  his 
knowledge  of  his  mother's  loss.  As  he  stood  shocked 
and  silent,  her  voice  roused  him  to  the  necessity  of 
softening  the  blow  to  her  as  much  as  possible,  and  he 
broke  forth  into  reassuring  words,  which  soon  made  Mrs. 
Thurston  chide  herself  for  having  given  way  to  despair, 
and  almost  lost  the  opportunity  of  making  apple  pies 
for  dinner. 


82  WHICH  WINS 

"If  the  worst  comes  to  the  worst,  mother,"  John 
added  as  he  went  out,  "  we  can  live  more  economically, 
and  I  don't  suppose  old  Leverson  would  trouble  us  about 
the  mortgage  if  we  should  be  a  little  slow  about  paying 
it  off.  He  hasn't  the  reputation  of  being  a  hard  man." 

John's  thoughts,  however,  were  far  less  hopeful  than 
his  words.  His  few  years'  experience  in  farming  had 
taught  him  a  severe  lesson,  as  to  its  financial  results ; 
and  he  felt  that  a  farmer  burdened  by  an  excessive  pro- 
tective tariff,  transportation  rates  which  made  distant 
markets  an  impossibility,  monopoly  in  the  grain  and 
cattle  markets,  and  a  new  system  of  capitalistic  "  ranch- 
ing," with  which  no  man  of  moderate  means  could  com- 
pete, offered  a  crushing  phalanx  of  difficulties,  through 
which  victory,  in  the  light  of  a  mortgage  paid  off,  looked 
very  distant  indeed.  He  thought  of  old  Mrs.  Leifert 
with  a  shudder,  and  of  what  his  mother's  sufferings 
would  be,  if  limited  to  the  scale  of  living  to  which  most 
of  their  neighbors  were  reduced ;  but  he  comforted  him- 
self with  the  thought  that  he  was  one  of  many  in  the 
same  condition,  and  that  if  cheerfulness,  determination, 
and  business  enterprise  could  carry  him  through,  they 
should  do  so. 

He  cut  down  his  expenditures  to  the  lowest  possible 
limit,  and  only  grieved  to  see  his  mother  stinted  in  many 
little  luxuries,  the  loss  of  which  would  have  been  nothing 
to  him,  but  to  her,  with  the  habits  of  years,  and  a  tem- 
perament which  led  her  to  make  much  of  small  things, 
they  meant  a  far  larger  proportion  of  suffering.  To  go 
without  her  cup  of  fine  tea  in  the  morning,  the  materials 
for  which  had  been  supplied  by  the  same  grocer  for 
many  years,  was  a  continually  recurring  sorrow  to  Mrs. 
Thurston;  but  a  far  deeper  pang  was  that  caused  by 
the  fact  that  her  Sunday  contribution  to  the  church  in 
which  she  elected  to  worship  must  be  given  up,  at  least 


THE  QUESTION  OF  LIVING  83 

for  the  time  being.  John  tried  to  convince  her  that  the 
Lord,  knowing  the  reason  of  her  failure  to  give,  would 
not  count  it  against  her,  and  that  the  many  Sundays 
upon  which  her  envelope  had  dropped  regularly  into  the 
contribution  box  would  more  than  balance  her  account 
with  Heaven ;  but  with  Mrs.  Thurston,  the  church  was 
much  more  a  thing  of  conventional  propriety,  than  a 
representative  of  spiritual  culture,  and  the  weekly  sub- 
scription to  its  maintenance  was  rather  a  patent  of 
earthly  gentility,  than  a  symbol  of  peace  with  Heaven. 

John  could  not  persuade  her  to  attend  the  services 
without  making  her  regular  payments,  and  he  saw  her 
pine  for  the  excitement  and  exhilaration  of  church-going, 
with  no  less  pain  because  he  felt  sure  that  she  was  not 
losing  spiritual  food  by  staying  away.  He  saw  that  she 
was  growing  old  rapidly  in  their  changed  conditions, 
and  the  new  cares  which  pressed  upon  her ;  and  the 
thought  that  it  was  he  who  had  brought  all  this  trouble 
upon  her,  sometimes  seemed  more  than  he  could  bear. 

Certainly  he  struggled  hard  enough  to  see  his  way  out 
of  his  difficulties,  but  they  grew  more  and  more  insur- 
mountable. He  felt  sometimes  that  in  order  to  make  his 
farm  pay,  he  must  change  the  entire  existing  order  of 
society,  and  that  nothing  short  of  a  social  upheaval 
could  break  a  chasm  through  the  mountain  pressing  upon 
him,  yet  he  shrank  from  such  thoughts  as  dangerous  and 
misleading. 

He  had  always  been  accustomed  to  look  upon  the 
State  as  the  natural  guardian  of  man,  holding  in  its 
hands  —  as  organized  man  —  the  possible  cure  of  all 
human  ills  ;  but  when  he  saw  the  State  piling  fresh  gifts 
of  the  people's  land  upon  the  railroads,  tolerating  the 
growth  of  a  land  monopoly  which  already  loomed  with 
dangerous  proportions  in  the  future,  and  governing,  or 
rather  misgoverning,  the  people,  through  a  system  of 


84  WHICH  WINS 

machine  politics  which  never  permitted  the  exponents 
of  the  people's  needs  to  enter  the  representative  bodies 
of  the  nation,  then  he  found  himself  wondering  how 
the  metamorphosis  would  ever  come  about,  which  should 
make  the  people  the  State,  and  enable  it  to  govern 
itself  as  the  heart  in  a  man's  body  governs  the  blood 
which  is  its  life. 

One  morning  some  errand  took  John  over  to  Mr. 
Bingham's  farm,  at  a  time  when  that  gentleman  was  on 
the  place,  attending  to  the  settlements  of  his  yearly 
accounts ;  and  the  conversation  which  transpired  did  not 
have  a  tendency  to  make  the  young  farmer  more  con- 
tented with  his  fate,  or  the  outlook  which  the  future 
offered  his  class. 

At  Mr.  Bingham's  invitation,  John  stepped  into  his 
buggy,  and  drove  with  him,  behind  his  high-spirited  and 
finely  bred  horse,  over  the  magnificent  estate,  out  of 
which,  as  he  said,  he  was  "coining  money." 

"If  you  find  farming  pays,  Mr.  Bingham,  you  are 
rather  an  exception  to  most  of  your  neighbors,"  said 
John,  curious  to  discover  the  methods  of  his  successful 
financiering,  and  anxious  also  for  hints  which  might 
lighten  the  darkness  of  his  own  trouble. 

"  Oh,  well,  you  see  the  cases  are  so  different,"  replied 
Mr.  Bingham,  in  a  tone  implying  a  large  tolerance  of 
John's  ignorance.  "It's  impossible  in  this  day  and 
generation  to  do  small  farming  profitably ;  why,  with 
wheat  at  forty  or  fifty  cents  a  bushel,  and  corn  at  ten  or 
fifteen,  the  small  farmer  who  has  a  few  bushels  of  each 
to  dispose  of,  and  ruinous  railway  rates  staring  him  in 
the  face,  is  practically  a  pauper ;  but  with  a  business 
man  like  myself  it  is  another  matter.  I  can  arrange 
with  the  railroads  to  transport  my  grain  where  I  please, 
at  special  rates,  and  you  see  immediately  the  advantages 
I  gain,  aside  from  increased  cheapness  of  production." 


THE   "BONANZA"   FAKMEK  85 

"  You  have  no  families  on  the  place,  I  believe  ? " 
remarked  John  interrogatively. 

"No,  there's  another  point  in  my  favor.  I  run  the 
thing  by  the  greatest  possible  economy  of  labor.  During 
the  winter,  five  men  do  the  work.  In  planting-time 
that  force  is  increased  considerably,  and  during  harvest 
and  haying  seasons,  we  have  from  one  hundred  and  fifty 
to  two  hundred  and  fifty  men  at  work ;  but  that  is 
never  longer  than  ten  days  or  two  weeks,  and  then 
much  of  it  is  cheap  labor.  Of  course,  a  regular  harvest 
hand  can  get  from  two  dollars  to  two  and  a  half  a  day ; 
but  the  country  is  full  of  tramps,  who  are  often  willing 
and  glad  to  work  for  less  than  half  that  price,  and  the 
permanent  hands,  who  stay  the  year  through,  jump  at 
a  chance  to  get  a  living,  and  ten  dollars  a  month  besides 
sometimes." 

"  But,  Mr.  Bingham,  those  are  serf's  wages.  Do  you 
think  it  is  right  to  take  advantage  of  a  man's  misfortune 
in  that  way  ?  "  cried  John  indignantly. 

"  What  is  one  to  do  ?  "  replied  the  other,  shrugging 
his  shoulders;  "these  men  are  simple  vermin.  They 
don't  deserve  more  than  a  subsistence,  or  they  would 
have  it,  and  I  consider  that  I  am  doing  a  humane  thing 
by  giving  them  an  opportunity  to  be  sure  of  a  place  to 
eat  and  sleep,  and  ten  dollars  a  month  besides.  I  have 
no  difficulty  finding  people  to  take  that,  I  assure  you,  and 
if  I  have  any  sentimentality  to  bestow,  I  sha'n't  waste  it 
on  such  vagabonds  and  outcasts." 

They  drove  by  the  men's  quarters  and  the  overseer's 
office.  The  preceding  year,  Mr.  Bingham  had  employed 
an  overseer  who  lived  with  his  family  on  the  place. 
But  the  man  was  a  father  with  three  babies,  kept  one 
cow  for  his  exclusive  use,  and  altogether  the  capitalist 
found  it  didn't  pay.  It  cost  more  to  keep  a  family  like 
that,  the  employer  went  on,  even  when  the  wife  did  the 


86  WHICH  WINS 

cooking  for  the  men;  he  preferred  to  hire  bachelors. 
Besides,  such  an  overseer  couldn't  begin  to  get  the  work 
out  of  the  men  that  the  present  incumbent  succeeded  in 
doing. 

"  You  turned  the  other  fellow  off,  then  ?  "  asked  John 
curiously. 

"  Yes ;  I  told  him  I  was  running  this  thing  for  busi- 
ness, not  for  charity,  and  he'd  have  to  find  some  other 
soft  spot  for  his  wife  and  babies." 

"  And"  where  is  he  now  ?  "  said  John,  thinking,  Avith  a 
slight  contraction  of  the  heart,  of  the  tender  children  so 
coldly  turned  away  from  the  green  fields  and  daisies 
which  were  their  proper  home,  because,  forsooth,  they 
diminished  a  trifle  the  profit  of  a  rich  man's  estate. 

"  Surely,"  he  added,  after  a  pause,  "  they  couldn't  have 
made  a  great  difference  in  your  yearly  accounts  ?  " 

"Not  very  great,  of  course,"  replied  Mr.  Bingham, 
with  the  assured  superiority  of  a  rich  man ;  "  but  it's 
the  principle  of  the  thing.  To  make  money  out  of  a 
business  of  this  kind,  you  must  regard  your  own  interest 
as  the  rule,  and  force  all  other  considerations  to  bend  to 
that.  If  I  tolerated  many  leaks  for  sentimental  reasons, 
I  should  find  I  had  no  longer  a  paying  investment,  and 
the  only  safe  way  is  to  look  at  everything  from  a  purely 
financial  standpoint." 

"  How  many  acres  have  you  in  this  farm  ? "  asked 
John  meekly,  feeling  his  opinions  of  singularly  small 
importance  at  the  moment. 

"  I  have  forty  thousand,"  replied  his  companion ; 
"fifteen  hundred  are  under  cultivation  now.  I  have  a 
thousand  or  so  in  hay,  and  shall  turn  up  a  thousand 
more  for  wheat  this  year." 

"  But,  Mr.  Bingham,  does  it  never  occur  to  you  that  it 
is  a  sort  of  cruelty  that  all  these  acres  should  not  pro- 
vide a  home  and  subsistence  for  a  single  family  ? " 


BUSINESS  VERSUS  JUSTICE  87 

said  John,  the  color  rising  to  his  face,  as  he  felt  how 
absurd  his  proposition  would  appear  to  the  plutocrat 
beside  him. 

Mr.  Bingham  laughed  with  great  enjoyment  appar- 
ently. "Really,  Mr.  Thurston,"  he  exclaimed,  "I 
believe  you  are  a  philanthropist  in  disguise.  What 
orphan  asylum  do  you  want  me  to  subscribe  for  ?  I'll 
give  you  a  blank  check  signed,"  he  added  humor- 
ously, "  as  a  token  of  my  appreciation  for  your  skill  in 
canvassing." 

John  did  not  smile.  "  You  must  excuse  me,"  he 
replied,  conscious  of  an  uncomfortable  sensation  which 
he  did  not  like  to  acknowledge ;  "  but  I  feel  so  keenly 
for  the  sufferings  of  the  poor  people  in  this  age,  that 
perhaps  I  do  injustice  to  what  the  rich  call  enterprise. 
Now,  the  farming  which  is  so  profitable  for  you,  abso- 
lutely starves  out  the  larger  class  of  small  farmers,  who 
ought  to  form  the  bone  and  sinew  of  every  community ; 
but  who  cannot  begin  to  compete  with  the  immense 
opportunity  for  economic  management  and  proportionate 
profits,  which  such  gigantic  operations  give  you." 

John  spoke  earnestly,  and  Mr.  Bingham  looked  at  him 
with  the  tolerance  of  a  far-seeing  business  man  for  a 
dreamer,  whose  ideas  may  be  very  beautiful,  but  are 
quite  unfit  for  practical  application  in  this  work-a-day 
world. 

"  Thurston,"  he  said,  "  what  do  you  suppose  my  busi- 
ness sense  was  given  to  me  for,  if  I  haven't  a  right  to  use 
it  ?  You  are  at  liberty  to  use  your  talents  to  the  same 
advantage  if  you  choose,  and  I  sha'n't  quarrel  with  you 
if  you  make  more  money  with  them  than  I  can  with 
mine.  I  consider  that  if  I  take  forty  thousand  acres  of 
land,  and  make  a  fortune  out  of  them,  I  save  a  hundred 
or  more  farmers  from  going  into  bankruptcy  thereby, 
and  consequently  I  am  a  benefactor  to  the  world." 


88  WHICH  WINS 

"  You  simply  make  tramps  of  that  number  of  farmers," 
said  John  hotly ;  "  and  introduce  a  method  of  farming, 
moreover,  which  must  reduce  the  whole  farming  com- 
munity to  a  condition  of  serfdom." 

Mr.  Bingham  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "The  world 
moves,"  he  said.  "Am  I  to  blame  for  getting  some 
profit  out  of  its  rotation?  As  long  as  I  am  perfectly 
honest  and  square  in  all  business  transactions,  I  can't 
see  how  I  am  guilty  for  taking  advantage  of  existing 
conditions,"  he  added,  conscious  of  some  slight  feeling 
of  uneasiness  from  the  silence  of  this  odd  young  fellow, 
with  whose  frankness  and  manly  intelligence  he  had 
been  singularly  impressed.  He  could  not  understand 
his  attitude  or  the  significance  of  his  ideas,  and  after 
turning  the  matter  over  quietly  in  his  own  mind,  he 
concluded  that  Thurston's  failure  to  make  small  farming 
pay  —  for  of  course  he  could  not  have  made  it  pay  — 
had  embittered  him  somewhat,  and  rendered  him  a  prey 
to  these  radical  ideas,  which  he  might  otherwise  have 
escaped.  Mr.  Bingham  was  a  good-hearted  fellow  when 
benevolence  did  not  interfere  with  private  interest,  and 
he  concluded  to  "  let  Thurston  in,"  to  a  certain  extent ; 
to  give  him  some  of  the  benefits  of  his  own  system  of 
farming,  in  other  words. 

"Mr.  Thurston,"  he  began  with  some  hesitancy,  not 
knowing  how  to  make  his  offer  in  the  most  delicate  way, 
"you  find  some  difficulty  in  getting  a  market  for  your 
produce,  don't  you  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  do,"  replied  John,  with  a  laugh  which  was  not 
exactly  jovial ;  "  as  a  rule,  I  don't  get  any  market  at  all 
for  it,  that's  the  fact  of  the  matter." 

"  Well,  what  in  the  world  did  you  turn  farmer  for  ?  " 
asked  Mr.  Bingham  curiously ;  "  you  don't  strike  me  as 
a  man  suited  to  that  sort  of  business." 

"  To  tell  the  truth,"  said  John,  "  I  had  no  idea  when 


MR.   BINGHAM  MAKES  AN  OFFER  89 

I  went  to  farming,  that  it  is  so  far  from  being  a  paying 
industry.  But,  as  to  being  suited  to  it,  I  should  enjoy 
it  above  all  things,  if  I  could  only  make  it  pay,  and  I 
imagine  I'm  a  pretty  good  farmer." 

"  Well,  now,  see  here,"  suggested  his  companion  ;  "  I 
might  be  of  some  assistance  to  you  just  as  well  as  not,  if 
you  will  allow  me.  Suppose  you  put  your  grain  in  with 
mine,  and  let  me  handle  the  transportation  for  you.  I'll 
charge  you  a  small  commission,  so  that  you'll  feel  per- 
fectly independent  about  it,  and  it  might  make  things 
easier  for  you." 

John  listened  to  the  proposition  with  surprise,  and  his 
conscience  smote  him  for  the  uncharitable  thoughts  of 
his  host  he  had  been  cherishing.  The  opportunity 
offered  might  save  the  farm  and  enable  him  to  win  an 
independence,  he  reflected,  and  he  saw  in  his  mind's  eye 
his  wagon-loads  of  grain  pouring  into  Mr.  Bingham's 
elevator,  while  he  drew  therefrom  a  living  price  for  the 
produce  of  the  soil.  Only  a  moment  the  vision  lasted, 
however.  John's  opinions  on  the  subject  of  bonanza 
farming  were  so  strong  that  he  felt  as  if  he  would  be 
desecrating  his  manhood  in  making  money  by  a  system 
ominous  to  the  interests  of  a  large  class  of  men.  His 
face  flushed  as  he  realized  that  he  had  tolerated  the 
possibility  of  such  a  thing  for  a  moment,  tolerated  it 
even  with  pleasure. 

"Mr.  Bingham,  I  appreciate  your  kindness  in  making 
me  the  offer,"  he  said,  with  some  difficulty ;  "  but  you 
must  excuse  me  for  saying  that  I  would  rather  go  into 
bankruptcy  with  the  rest  of  my  class,  than  grow  rich 
according  to  your  system." 

Mr.  Bingham.  looked  at  his  companion  with  growing 
astonishment.  "  Look  here,  Thurston ! "  he  cried  ;  "  are 
you  a  crank,  or  crazy  ?  " 

"  I  suppose  I  am  both,  according  to  your  standard," 


90  WHICH  WINS 

replied  John,  smiling;  "but,  really,  I  think  if  you 
realized  what  is  the  condition  of  the  farming  interest 
to-day,  you  would  comprehend  why  I  am  so  warm  over 
it." 

"Realize  it!"  responded  Mr.  Bingham,  with  a  short 
laugh,  "  why,  don't  you  suppose  I  have  eyes  and  ears  ? 
The  whole  of  the  farmers  in  this  neighborhood  are  on 
the  verge  of  pauperism.  1  went  over  to  Nichols's  the 
other  day,  whose  land  joins  mine  on  the  south  side,  to 
see  if  I  could  get  him  to  board  my  men.  I  concluded  it 
would  be  cheaper  than  boarding  them  myself  on  the 
place ;  and  what  do  you  think  ?  The  people  hadn't  a 
thing  in  the  house  but  corn  meal !  Nichols  said  he'd  be 
only  too  glad  to  take  the  men  to  board  if  he  could  do  it, 
but  he'd  have  to  lay  in  bacon,  flour,  molasses,  and  every 
thing ;  he  had  no  money,  and  no  credit  at  the  store,  so 
he'd  have  to  decline  unless  I  made  him  an  advance  on 
the  first  week's  board  to  buy  provisions.  He  took  the 
job  so  cheap,  that  I  was  glad  to  do  it,"  added  Mr. 
Bingham,  "and  really  I  don't  see  how  they  can  make 
anything  out  of  it,  on  the  terms  they  agreed  to ;  but 
Nichols  has  half  a  dozen  babies,  and  I  suppose  he  looked 
on  it  as  one  chance  more  between  them  and  starvation. 
But  I  can't  for  the  life  of  me  see  how  such  a  state  of 
things  has  anything  to  do  with  your  refusing  my  propo- 
sition," concluded  John's  would-be  benefactor;  "why 
should  you  voluntarily  put  yourself  in  Nichols's  place  ?  " 

"  I  couldn't  possibly  take  advantage  of  a  power  that  is 
helping  to  push  Nichols  down,  Mr.  Bingham,"  said  John, 
pressing  his  lips  together. 

"But  it  seems  to  me  I'm  Nichols's  good  Samaritan 
just  now,"  responded  Mr.  Bingham,  apparently  feeling 
a  curious  interest  in  John's  state  of  mind.  "I'm  re- 
sponsible for  the  bacon  and  molasses  his  children  are 
getting  with  their  corn  bread,  anyhow,"  and  the  bene- 


THE  RICH  MAN'S  CHAEITY  91 

factor  chuckled  as  though  delighting  in  his  philanthropy, 
in  a  way  which  was  almost  unendurable  to  John's 
strained  and  half-morbid  feelings. 

He  wanted  to  let  loose  his  tongue,  and  tell  this  man 
of  luxury  how  coarse  and  selfish  he  was  to  take  advan- 
tage of  a  father's  love  for  his  helpless  little  ones,  to  fill 
his  own  pockets ;  to  ask  him  if  he  saw  no  injustice  in 
reducing  Mr.  Nichols  and  thousands  like  him  to  the  con- 
dition of  serfdom  for  the  farming  class  which  must 
ensue  if  something  did  not  interfere  to  raise  ordinary 
farming  to  its  former  dignity  as  an  industry,  and  lessen 
the  growing  encroachments  of  capitalistic  agricultural 
methods.  But  as  he  looked  around  at  the  well-fed,  self- 
satisfied  face  beside  him,  he  paused  and  bit  his  lip,  feel- 
ing the  uselessness  of  words  to  bridge  the  chasm  between 
himself  and  the  person  beside  him.  "This  man  has 
never  seen  the  world  outside  of  himself,"  he  thought 
bitterly.  "He  has  children  of  his  own,  but  he  never 
dreams  that  Nichols's  babies  are  formed  of  the  same  clay. 
It  has  not  occurred  to  him  that  one  human  being  has 
rights  which  another  should  respect,  or  that  the  robbers' 
principle  of  (  get  all  you  can,  and  keep  it,'  doesn't  found 
an  honorable  policy  for  a  business  man  of  the  nineteenth 
century."  So  he  said  nothing  at  first,  and  then  re- 
marked with  a  sarcasm  which  Mr.  Bingham  did  not 
quite  see,  — 

"  It  is  very  fortunate  for  Mr.  Nichols  that  he  fell  into 
the  hands  of  such  a  philanthropic  Christian,  I  suppose." 

"Well,  I  am  not  trying  to  be  specially  charitable  to 
Nichols,"  responded  Mr.  Bingham,  "though  some  men 
would  have  been  harder  on  him,  no  doubt ;  but  I  will  say 
this  much,  I'm  not  a  hard  man,  and  nobody  gives  more 
liberally  to  the  church  and  to  charitable  institutions 
than  I  do.  I  believe  in  taking  care  of  the  poor  always." 
And  Mr.  Bingham  chirruped  to  his  horse  with  a  smile 


92  WHICH  WINS 

which  indicated  how  well  satisfied  he  was  with  himself 
and  his  methods  of  doing  business,  as  well  as  how 
entirely  ignorant  he  was  of  the  world,  and  the  great 
needs  of  humanity  for  justice  and  high  principle. 

"  0  Christ ! "  thought  John,  as  he  walked  home 
through  the  dusk  of  the  evening,  "  why  did  you  die  in 
the  world  so  long  ago,  and  what  must  you  think  now  of 
the  lessons  men  teach  as  yours  ?  They  use  your  highest 
thinking  as  an  excuse  for  the  meanest  conduct,  and  feel 
themselves  at  liberty  to  oppress  the  poor  with  a  good 
conscience,  because  you  once  said  we  should  have  them 
always  with  us  !  And  your  church  fosters  that  system 
of  pretentious  public  giving  and  secret  oppression  which 
you  were  foremost  in  denouncing !  I  suppose  Bingham 
will  square  his  account  with  Heaven  by  building  an 
orphan  asylum  or  a  public  library  for  some  city,"  he 
reflected ;  "  and  console  himself  for  the  sufferings  of 
those  he  has  starved  to  pay  for  it,  by  the  thought  that 
they  are  vermin,  and  ought  to  be  thankful  for  the  privi- 
lege of  dying  to  provide  a  more  enlightened  class  with 
the  opportunities  of  culture ;  "  and  John  shuddered  as 
he  thought  of  such  a  price  being  paid  for  Shelley's  Ode 
to  Liberty,  or  Milton's  Iconoclastes. 


HOW  THEY  FALL  IN  LOVE  IN  NEW  YORK         93 


CHAPTER    X 

HOW  THEY  FALL  IN  LOVE  IN  NEW  YORK 

KATHERINE  WOOLCOTT  found  life  very  pleasant  in 
New  York  after  her  years  of  study.  She  had  a  large 
class  of  pupils,  played  frequently  in  public,  and  had  the 
entree  of  a  musical  circle  much  to  her  taste.  She  had 
played  for  Thomas's  Orchestra  twice  during  the  winter, 
and  said  sometimes  that  she  would  be  perfectly  happy  if 
her  mother  would  let  her  alone. 

Mrs.  Woolcott  felt  that  with  a  fortune  of  twenty 
thousand  dollars,  there  was  no  reason  why  Katherine 
should  give  herself  up  to  the  life  of  an  artist,  which 
she  considered  equivalent  to  that  of  a  drudge,  and  she 
lost  no  opportunity  of  preaching  to  her  what  she  called 
"  practical  common  sense."  To  Katherine,  however,  the 
life  of  an  artist  summed  up  every  joy  which  the  possibil- 
ities of  human  existence  could  compass.  Her  interests 
were  centred  in  music  alone,  and  if  she  had  any  capacity 
for  loving  other  things,  it  had  never  been  awakened. 
She  loved  her  mother,  but  it  was  a  fondness  which  arose 
more  from  habit  than  from  any  special  congeniality ;  and 
aside  from  this  one  tie,  friends,  books,  and  the  world 
were  merely  extraneous  aids  to  the  comprehension  of 
music. 

One  morning,  as  Katherine  sat  in  her  pleasant  music- 
room  giving  a  lesson,  her  mother  entered. 

"Kate,"  she  said,  "Mr.  Ward  is  down-stairs,  and 
wants  to  see  you  a  moment." 

"  Mother ! "   cried  Katherine   hastily,  "  you  know  I 


94  WHICH  WINS 

will  not  see  any  one  during  my  lesson  hours ;  why  did 
you  not  excuse  me  ?  " 

"Well,  my  dear/'  replied  her  mother  deprecatingly, 
"  it's  so  very  important.  He  says  that  he  has  accident- 
ally been  able  to  procure  tickets  for  that  entertainment 
at  the  Metropolitan  Opera  House  you  have  been  so 
anxious  to  attend,  and  I  thought  it  wouldn't  do  to  send 
him  away." 

Katherine  went  down-stairs  with  a  troubled  air.  Mr. 
Ward  had  been  very  attentive  of  late,  and  her  mother 
had  let  fall  several  significant  remarks  in  regard  to  his 
family  and  wealth,  which  had  alarmed  her  daughter, 
who  would  never  have  dreamed  otherwise  that  the  gen- 
tleman's attentions  sprang  from  any  motive  more  serious 
than  friendship  or  musical  enthusiasm.  So  Katherine 
went  down-stairs  intending  to  be  rather  brusque,  and 
decline  the  impending  invitation.  As  she  entered  the 
drawing-room,  however,  Mr.  Ward  rose  to  meet  her  with 
such  an  air  of  frank  good  comradeship,  that  Katherine's 
scruples  melted  away,  especially  as  the  proffer  of  a  box 
for  this  particular  Wagner  opera  of  Tristan  and  Iseult, 
which  she  had  never  heard,  was  practically  irresistible. 
Katherine  did  not  know  that  this  same  box  was  an 
unexpected  windfall  to  her  friend.  Ward  would  never 
in  the  world  have  paid  for  such  a  treat,  but  an  acquaint- 
ance, who  was  under  considerable  obligations  to  him  for 
speculative  favors,  had  placed  it  at  his  disposal ;  and 
Katherine,  not  apprised  of  this  fact,  was  filled  with 
admiration  at  his  unprecedented  extravagance.  Her 
conscience  smote  her  as  she  went  back  to  her  pupil, 
however,  and  she  resolved  that  she  would  show  Mr. 
Ward,  in  some  unmistakable  way,  that  his  attentions 
were  not  agreeable,  a  determination  which  was  strength- 
ened by  the  consciousness  that  her  mother  and  the  young 
man  might  form  a  combination  that  she  would  be  power- 


KATE  BECOMES  ENTANGLED  95 

less  to  resist,  for  Katherine's  temperament  was  singu- 
larly yielding  in  all  which  concerned  herself  and  her 
own  advantage. 

"  Mother,"  she  said,  as  they  were  taking  their  lunch 
together,  "  Mr.  Ward  spoke  to  me  again  to-day  about  the 
investment  of  my  fortune.  When  I  told  him  the  income 
we  receive  from  it,  he  laughed,  and  said  we  might  just 
as  well  have  three  times  as  much.  I  really  think  I  will 
go  in  and  speak  to  Mr.  Allworth  the  lawyer  about  it 
this  afternoon." 

"  Do  so,  by  all  means,  Kate  dear,"  replied  her  mother 
eagerly ;  "  you  couldn't  have  a  better  financial  adviser 
than  Mr.  Ward." 

"  I'm  sure  of  that,  mother,"  cried  Katherine  laughing, 
"  I  never  saw  a  man  so  dominated  by  the  mania  for 
riches  in  my  life.  And  if  he  hadn't  done  so  many  nice 
things  for  me,  I  should  call  him  positively  stingy.  He 
accidentally  discovered  the  other  day  that  I  receive 
three  dollars  a  lesson  from  my  pupils ;  and  when  he 
learned  that  I  had  missed  a  lesson  through  his  visit,  he 
seemed  perfectly  shocked,  and  couldn't  be  persuaded 
that  I  cared  nothing  about  it.  Three  dollars  is  evidently 
a  large  matter  to  him." 

"  But  a  business  man,  my  dear,  looks  at  the  world  so 
differently  from  an  inexperienced  girl  like  yourself," 
cried  Mrs.  Woolcott  anxiously,  "  and  Mr.  Ward  is  much 
too  well-bred  to  be  stingy.  It  is  quite  remarkable  for  a 
young  man  in  this  day  to  be  so  careful  and  moderate  in 
all  things  as  he  is." 

"  Oh,  he  is  very  good,  mamma !  "  admitted  Katherine, 
laughing,  while  she  fed  her  canary  bird,  which  was 
perched  on  her  white  finger,  with  a  bit  of  sugar,  "  but 
he  always  leaves  a  metallic  taste  in  my  mouth.  I  can't 
help  it." 

Mrs.  Woolcott  looked  a  little  shocked,  but  Katherine 


96  WHICH  WINS 

kissed  away  her  reproving  words,  declaring  that  if  she 
ever  fell  in  love,  it  must  be  with  a  violinist  and  a 
beggar ;  for  what  would  be  the  use  of  marrying  if  one 
couldn't  get  a  perpetual  accompanist  at  the  same  time  ? 
and  matrimony  would  never  be  attractive  to  her,  unless 
it  had  no  worldly  reasons  to  recommend  it. 

Mrs.  Woolcott  sighed,  and  shook  her  head.  It  had 
always  grieved  her  that  this  daughter,  so  beautiful  and 
gifted,  should  have  no  position  in  the  social  world ;  and 
she  looked  forward  to  the  marriage,  which  she  was  sure 
Kate  might  just  as  well  make,  to  rectify  all  the  mistakes 
of  adverse  fortune.  She  gloried  in  the  thought  that 
her  darling  was  actually  going  to  sit  in  a  box  at  the 
Metropolitan  Opera  House,  and  took  pleasure  in  seeing 
that  her  gloves  and  opera  cloak  were  in  perfect  order, 
shaking  her  head  dolefully  as  she  reflected  that  Kate 
would  never  know  whether  she  had  any  gloves  to 
wear! 

Miss  Woolcott  had  been  besieged  by  many  lovers,  but 
Mr.  Ward  was  the  first  one  of  whom  her  mother  fully 
approved.  His  predecessors  had  been  mostly  musicians 
and  artists,  of  undoubted  talents  and  very  limited  bank 
accounts,  who  could  not  make  a  living  for  themselves, 
let  alone  a  wife,  in  Mrs.  Woolcott's  opinion,  and  whom 
Katherine  was  always  inviting  to  dinner,  because  she 
suspected  them  of  living  on  crackers  and  water,  from 
the  sudden  collapse  of  an  exchequer  perennially  weak. 

Mr.  Ward,  however,  was  a  person  of  an  entirely  dif- 
ferent character,  and  in  spite  of  her  own  profound 
admiration  for  Katherine's  talents  and  beauty,  Mrs. 
Woolcott  never  could  quite  understand  why  Mr.  Ward 
had  selected  her  as  the  object  of  his  attentions,  when 
she  had  neither  large  fortune  nor  social  position ;  and 
she  therefore  credited  him  with  more  liberality  and  free- 
dom from  prejudice  than  he  perhaps  deserved,  having  no 


MR.   WARD  MAKES   UP  HIS  MIND  97 

conception  of  the  type  of  masculine  who  is  so  anxious 
for  undoubted  pre-eminence  in  the  family,  that  he  will 
select  a  wife  by  preference  a  trifle  less  well  endowed 
than  himself  in  worldly  goods,  so  that  he  may  always 
keep  her  openly  under  obligations  to  him  for  her  social 
position. 

The  evening  of  the  opera,  Mrs.  Woolcott  prepared  a 
dainty  little  supper  to  be  served  on  Katherine's  return, 
an  event  which  was  all  but  spoiled  by  the  fact  that  the 
young  lady  was  so  absorbed  in  the  recollection  of  some 
portions  of  the  opera  she  had  just  heard,  that  she  quite 
forgot  to  invite  Mr.  Ward  in,  and  had  not  her  mother 
accidentally  opened  the  door  for  them  herself,  he  would 
have  gone  away  quite  rebuffed. 

As  it  was,  however,  the  evening  ended  charmingly, 
and  if  there  had  been  any  doubts  in  Ward's  own  mind 
as  to  his  intentions,  they  ended  then  and  there.  Kath- 
erine  was  happy  because  she  had  enjoyed  so  much,  and 
good-tempered  because  her  thoughts  were  still  so  full  of 
the  music  to  which  she  had  been  listening,  that  no 
element  of  the  outer  world  could  make  more  than  a 
faint  impression  upon  her.  Ward  watched  her  eagerly 
as  she  sat  with  her  opera  cloak  thrown  back,  bringing 
the  roundness  of  her  white  arms  and  throat  into  strong 
relief  by  its  scarlet  background.  Her  canary  came  and 
perched  upon  her  shoulders,  roused  by  the  lights  and 
bustle  at  so  unusual  an  hour:  and  she  fed  him  with 
dainty  bits  of  sugar  and  cake  from  the  table,  stopping 
every  now  and  then  to  hum  a  passage  from  the  opera, 
and  declaring  that  he  understood  it.  Then  the  cham- 
pagne was  excellent,  and  though  Ward  reflected  that  it 
was  a  horrible  piece  of  extravagance  in  Mrs.  Woolcott 
to  give  it  to  them,  he  actually  forgot  all  about  the  pos- 
sible price  when  Katherine  poured  him  out  a  glass, 
adjuring  him  to  drink  to  the  gallantry  of  Tristan.  Ward 


98  WHICH  WINS 

rose  then  to  the  exigency  of  the  moment,  and  bowing 
over  the  fingers  of  his  lady  fair,  vowed  that  he  would 
drink  only  to  the  charms  of  Iseult.  Something  in  his 
voice  and  in  the  warmth  of  his  eyes  startled  Katherine 
from  her  absorption,  and  she  set  her  glass  down  un- 
tasted,  and  went  over  to  the  piano,  trying  to  recall,  by 
aid  of  the  keys,  the  spell  of  the  wonderful  music  which 
threatened  to  leave  her. 

But  Ward  did  not  mind  this  indifference.  He  had 
carefully  considered  his  own  position  and  Katherine's. 
He  realized  the  yielding,  impractical  tendency  of  her 
temperament,  and  while  he  had  no  idea  that  she  would 
ever  love  him  very  desperately,  he  felt  sure  she  would 
not  refuse  the  offer  of  his  hand.  He  rather  preferred 
that  she  should  not  love  him  too  much,  in  fact,  for  it 
made  his  courtship  more  interesting,  without  adding 
uncertainty  to  the  result.  So  he  enjoyed  everything  to 
the  full,  —  the  dainty  supper,  the  soft  lights,  and  the 
beautiful  woman  whom  he  intended  to  take  for  his  own, 
all  adding  their  proper  proportion  to  the  gratification 
which  he  allowed  to  steal  over  his  senses. 

"  It's  quite  like  —  like  Maupassant,  is  it  not  ?  "  he 
said  to  Mrs.  Woolcott,  with  a  glance  of  appreciation  at 
the  scene  about  him. 

"  Why,  really,"  said  Mrs.  Woolcott,  a  little  shocked, 
"  I  never  read  Maupassant,  I  am  sure,  Mr.  Ward ;  isn't 
he  a  trifle  —  well  —  broad  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  beg  your  pardon ! "  cried  Ward,  feeling  sud- 
denly that  his  remark  was  not  exactly  in  consonance 
with  the  safe  and  truly  admirable  character  he  wished 
to  represent,  "  I  only  meant  the  surroundings,  you 
know,  the  Bohemian  effect  of  the  supper,  the  music, 
Miss  Woolcott's  playing  over  in  the  dark.  You  see,  I 
am  a  creature  of  such  regular  habits  that  this  little 
affair  is  quite  a  dissipation  for  me,"  he  added  virtuously, 


A  YOUNG  WOMAN  WITH  IDEALS  99 

"and  therefore  I  enjoy  it  hugely.  Miss  Woolcott  is 
absolutely  beautiful  to-night,  is  she  not  ?  " 

Mrs.  Woolcott  followed  Ward's  gaze  with  all  a 
mother's  fondness ;  and  truly  Katherine  was  lovely  as 
she  sat,  her  absorbed  face  turned  half  toward  them,  and 
the  scarlet  cloak  still  hanging  from  her  shoulders. 

"I  am  afraid  you  will  think  she  is  not  very  courteous, 
Mr.  Ward,"  remarked  Mrs.  Woolcott,  somewhat  anxious 
over  Katherine's  neglect  of  her  guest,  "but  she  is  so 
fond  of  music." 

"  Oh,  I  understand  that,"  replied  the  young  man,  not 
ill  pleased  at  the  lady's  solicitude  ;  "  I  am  very  glad  that 
I  was  able  to  give  her  so  much  pleasure,"  and  Ward 
swelled  a  little,  quite  forgetting  that  he  had  paid  nothing 
for  the  opera  box,  which  figured  so  largely  upon  this 
interesting  occasion. 

A  few  moments  later,  he  crossed  the  room  to  say 
good-night,  and  Katherine  let  her  fingers  lie  a  little 
longer  than  usual  in  his  clasp.  Are  there  any  Tristans 
nowadays,  she  thought,  as  she  looked  into  his  little  gray 
eyes,  or  are  they  all  like  this  young  man,  wrapped  in 
dreams  of  practical  success,  and  personal  aggrandize- 
ment ?  A  sudden  consciousness  of  the  difference  be- 
tweeen  the  ideal  in  her  thoughts  and  the  young  man 
before  her  made  her  draw  away  the  hand  he  held,  hastily, 
and  turn  to  the  piano ;  yet  she  could  not  have  defined 
the  momentary  repulsion  she  felt.  There  was  a  lack  of 
harmony  somewhere,  beginning  with  Ward,  in  the  outer 
world,  and  there  her  analysis  ended  for  the  time  being. 
Later,  when  her  mother  uttered  her  customary  pane- 
gyrics upon  his  moderation  and  good  taste,  she  hardly 
heard  her. 

"  I  don't  care  anything  about  his  moderation,  mother," 
she  said,  dreamily,  as  she  let  down  her  hair.  "  If  a  man 
is  great,  he  is  usually  a  little  unbalanced,  and  apt  to  go 


100  WHICH   WINS 

to  excess  in  some  direction.  I  should  like  to  know  an 
individual  who  could  forget  all  about  himself  in  enthu- 
siasm for  a  cause  which  would  not  advance  him  person- 
ally. Like  the  music  of  Tristan,"  she  added,  pausing  a 
moment  to  hum  the  strain  which  always  accompanies 
the  hero  in  the  opera.  "  Of  course  Tristan  only  forgets 
himself  for  Iseult;  but  that  music  could  forget  itself  so 
unselfishly  for  any  cause." 

Mrs.  Woolcott  remarked  anxiously  that  she  had  better 
go  to  bed,  or  she  would  have  a  headache  in  the  morning. 
Katherine's  odd  remarks  always  made  her  nervous,  and 
strengthened  her  determination  to  get  her  safely  married 
to  some  steady  man  at  all  hazards. 

As  she  laid  her  head  upon  her  pillow  that  night,  she 
fancied  Katherine  at  the  head  of  an  establishment  of 
moderate  and  careful  elegance,  evidencing  the  best  of 
taste.  Her  music  was  given  up  professionally ;  several 
children  clustered  about  her  knees,  attended  by  nurses 
in  white  caps.  She  had  grown  stouter,  and  her  eyes 
no  longer  had  that  misty  look  of  gazing  into  the  future, 
which  always  gave  her  mother  the  fidgets.  She  no 
longer  played  Wagner  in  the  dark,  oblivious  to  the 
presence  of  a  wealthy  young  man  who  seemed  to  have 
intentions.  Oh,  horrors!  she  had  degenerated  to  a 
degree  which  ought  to  have  satisfied  the  most  sordid 
and  commonplace  of  souls;  and  her  mother  smiled  peace- 
fully as  she  slept. 


DEBT  AND  DISAPPOINTMENT  101 


CHAPTER   XI 

DEBT   AND   DISAPPOINTMENT 

As  the  months  went  on,  John  began  to  make  prepara- 
tions for  his  spring  planting,  and  he  found  that  one  of 
the  first  requisites  was  money  to  carry  on  the  farm  till 
the  crops  came  in.  There  was  no  income  from  New 
York  now,  to  fall  back  upon,  and  there  was  no  surplus 
from  last  year's  crop ;  and  so  John  saw  himself  forced 
to  give  a  mortgage  upon  some  of  his  stock,  which  he 
felt  sure  he  could  pay  off  one  way  or  another  in  the 
autumn ;  but,  however  that  might  be,  there  was  nothing 
else  to  do  at  present.  The  interest  of  the  mortgage 
must  be  met  at  any  cost,  and  John  thought  with  terror, 
meanwhile,  of  the  possibility  of  a  failure  of  his  crops 
in  the  fall. 

He  was  getting  along  with  less  help  than  formerly, 
and  hoped  to  do  his  planting  this  year  with  meiely  the 
assistance  of  Carl,  and  Watson,  who  had  proved  himself 
invaluable  to  John  in  these  latter  days.  John  worked 
harder  himself,  and  though  he  thought  he  had  always 
done  his  share,  he  began  to  find  out  that  the  life  of  a 
poor  farmer  who  utilizes  every  moment  of  daylight  to 
accomplish  his  meed  of  toil,  is  not  exactly  conducive  to 
high  thinking  or  original  inventiveness  of  any  kind. 
He  thought  often  of  Millet's  paintings  in  those  days, 
and  realized  the  meaning  of  that  look  of  stolid  endur- 
ance he  was  so  fond  of  depicting  upon  the  faces  of  his 
peasants ;  and  he  found  himself  discovering  the  same 
look  upon  the  countenances  of  his  neighbors  and  his 


102  WHICH  WINS 

workmen  sometimes.  Carl  had  it,  he  thought,  without 
a  doubt. 

Poor  Carl !  he  had  expected  long  ago  to  have  a  cottage 
of  his  own,  with  Gretchen  presiding  over  it,  in  the  rich 
new  country ;  and  he  would  not  be  persuaded  to  send 
for  her  at  first,  before  that  happy  expectation  could  be 
realized.  Gretchen  would  think  he  was  not  sharp,  he 
said,  if  he  could  not  get  a  farm  for  her.  She  was  too 
proud  to  be  a  common  workman's  wife,  and  she  would 
not  believe  that  they  were  deceived,  and  it  was  really 
hard  for  a  poor  man  to  get  on  in  America.  So  Carl  had 
the  blues,  or  "sulked,"  as  Mrs.  Thurston  called  it,  and 
flirted  with  Maggie  by  turns,  until  at  last  Gretchen  sur- 
prised him  by  writing  that  she  had  saved  up  her  wages, 
and  was  coming  to  America  to  help  him  buy  a  farm. 
Carl  had  let  his  wages  run  on,  thinking  they  were  safer 
with  "Meester  Chon"  than  with  himself,  and  John 
being  called  upon  thus  suddenly  was  considerably  "  put 
to  it,"  to  raise  the  money  to  pay  him.  Carl  concluded 
to  meet  Gretchen  in  Omaha,  and  find  work  for  both  in 
town,  for  he  felt  that  his  experiment  in  the  country 
would  not  be  considered  a  very  paying  one  by  far-seeing 
Gretchen. 

There  was  no  place  for  Gretchen  on  the  farm,  more- 
over, for  Mrs.  Thurston  could  no  longer  afford  to  keep  a 
girl,  and  if  it  had  not  been  for  Maggie's  occasional  help, 
would  often  have  sunk  under  her  burden. 

In  those  days,  Watson  was  a  great  comfort  to  John. 
He  found  his  ready  philosophy  always  cheering,  and  his 
humor  amusing.  After  Carl  left  he  took  his  place ;  and 
it  seemed  to  John,  did  the  work  of  two  men,  though  he 
always  pretended  not  to  be  doing  anything.  He  never 
failed  to  stop  in  the  kitchen  to  ask  Mrs.  Thurston  if  she 
had  any  jobs  for  him,  remarking,  "  Ye  see,  Mis'  Thurston, 
men  folks  is  sich  a  lazy  lot,  it's  the  born  duty  o'  you 


THE  BREAD  AND  BUTTER  QUESTION          103 

women  to  find  somethin'  fur  'em  to  do  ; "  and  thereupon 
he  would  proceed  to  carry  all  the  coal  and  water  she 
could  possibly  need  for  some  time  to  come. 

One  day  as  they  were  bringing  in  the  teams  at  dinner- 
time, Watson  suddenly  remarked,  — 

"  Mr.  Thurston,  d'ye  know,  I'm  kind  o'  thinkin'  o'  fol- 
lowin'  arter  Carl,  an'  goin'  to  town." 

"  Why,  how's  that,  Watson  ?  "  exclaimed  John  in  dis- 
may. "  What  put  that  into  your  head  ?  " 

"  Wai,  I'm  thinkin'  there  ain't  nothin'  doin'  in  the 
country  in  winter  time,  an'  Maggie,  she's  jist  dead  set  fur 
the  town,"  replied  Watson.  "So  I  reckin  when  fall 
comes  I'll  jist  pull  up  an'  move  along  toward  Omaha." 

"But,  Watson,  do  you  think  it's  wise  to  go  to  the 
towns  ?  "  remarked  John.  "  The  men  are  nocking  there 
from  all  over  the  country,  and  it  seems  to  me  you  stand 
a  better  chance  here." 

"Wai,  Mr.  Thurston,"  responded  Watson,  "I've  an 
idee  that  ye  won't  stay  on  this  yer  farm  very  long 
yerself,  an'  after  ye  go  'tain't  likely  no  one  else  would 
let  me  stay  in  that  there  shanty  'thout  payin'  rent,  an' 
so  I  think  I'll  git  out  in  time." 

"  But,  Watson,  what  makes  you  think  I  won't  stay  on 
the  farm  ?  "  asked  John  in  some  surprise. 

"Wai,"  said  Watson  slowly,  "ef  ye've  got  money,  ye 
ain't  a-goin'  ter  stay  vegetatin'  here  much  longer,  makin' 
nothin',  an'  ef  ye  hain't  got  money,  ye'll  hev  ter  git  off 
afore  long,  fur  I  don't  see  how  yer  goin'  ter  make  no 
livin'  off'n  this  yer  farm.  Ye  can't  sell  nothin'  but 
butter'n  eggs  nohow,  an'  yer  mother's  jist  plumb  wore 
out." 

John  assented  sorrowfully  to  this  last  proposition. 
"  But  don't  you  think,  Watson,"  he  added,  "  that  things 
will  pick  up  a  little  in  the  fall  ?  We'll  have  a  splendid 
crop  from  the  present  outlook." 


104  WHICH  WINS 

"Crop  nothin' !  "  cried  Watson,  bitterly.  "  Wot's  the 
good  of  a  splendid  crop  with  corn  ten  cents  a  bushel  ?  " 

"  But  corn  may  not  be  ten  cents  a  bushel  next  fall," 
said  John. 

"  Wot'll  make  it  higher  ?  "  replied  Watson,  snapping 
his  whip  in  a  way  which  startled  his  mules  so  unpleas- 
antly, that  they  broke  into  a  brisk  trot.  "  Is  taxes  any 
lower,  is  money  any  plentier,  is  there  any  fewer  folks 
a-starvin',  I'd  like  ter  know  ?  hear  tell  o'  them  Pennsyl- 
vany  miners  performing  an'  you'll  think  corn  won't  be 
wuth  nothin'." 

"  But  what  has  that  to  do  with  the  price  of  corn  ?  " 
asked  John,  delighted  that  Watson  was  fairly  astride  of 
his  hobby. 

"Wai,"  said  Watson,  flicking  a  fly  from  the  side  of 
his  favorite  mule,  "  I  can't  rightly  say ;  but  I  reckon 
Satan  he  wants  ter  torment  us,  an'  make  us  ez  bad  ez 
he  kin,  an'  so  he  sort  o'  regulates  things  ter  happen  that 
way.  Ef  most  folks  hez  plenty  o'  money  an'  kin  buy, 
things  is  allus  high ;  an'  ef  we're  all  as  poor  ez  Job's 
turkey,  they's  down  so  low,  it  makes  a  man  mos'  wild 
a-thinkin'  how  little  it  'ud  take  to  git  a  squar'  meal  o' 
vittles.  I  dunno  how  'tis,  but  the  devil's  in  it  somewhar, 
that's  sure,"  concluded  Watson  decisively. 

"  Well,  what's  a  man  going  to  do,  if  his  crops  don't 
pay  for  harvesting  ?  "  asked  John  slowly. 

"  Do  ?  "  asked  Watson  with  some  sharpness.  "  Why, 
fust  of  all,  he'll  git  money  on  his  cattle,  ef  he's  got  any, 
thinkin'  he  kin  pay  it  off  shore  afore  long.  Then'll 
come  the  crops,  the  household  furnitur',  the  pianner,  an' 
by  an'  by  everything's  gone,  an'  he  jist  nat'rally  tramps 
it.  Without  he's  a  feller  like  Bingham,"  he  added,  "he 
ain't  no  place  in  this  generation  nohow." 

"  What  sort  of  a  place  has  Bingham  ?  "  asked  John 
curiously. 


WATSON'S  ICONOCLASM  105 

"On  top!"  replied  Watson  with  decision.  "On  top 
every  time.  You  take  them  fellers  that's  principally  gall 
an'  stomach,  an'  ye'll  find  'em  a-winnin'  the  race  in  this 
present  day  every  time.  Bingham  he'd  hev  every  man 
in  the  country  a-workin'  fur  him  fur  nothin'  a  day  ef  he 
could,  an'  him  walkin'  around  an'  thinkin'  he's  the  Lord's 
own,  an'  that's  the  reason  money  keeps  a-pilin'  in  on  him." 

"  But,  Watson,  there  are  plenty  of  rich  men  not  at  all 
like  Bingham,"  said  John,  "  and  they've  made  their 
money  honestly." 

"  Yes,  I  know,"  assented  Watson,  "  but  average  'em 
up,  an'  it's  pretty  nearly  Bingham  all  over.  I'd  ruther 
be  a  born  duke  any  day,  than  sech  a  mean  cuss  ez  Bing- 
ham," added  Watson  with  vehemence.  "  He'll  hev  a  big 
funeral  when  he  dies,"  he  commented  after  a  pause,  "  but 
there  won't  many  folks  know  what  a  miserable  little 
tallow  candle  of  a  soul  they're  a-celebratin'." 

As  they  stopped  at  the  barn  and  unyoked  the  horses, 
Watson's  words  ran  in  John's  mind.  Were  they  pro- 
phetic ?  he  asked  himself,  as  he  looked  across  the  great 
cornfield  which  bowed  and  wavered  in  the  breeze  like  a 
strip  of  shining  sea.  He  had  taken  the  first  step,  and 
every  time  he  looked  at  his  little  herd  of  glossy  short- 
horns, he  seemed  to  see  the  constable  already  driving 
them  off  the  place.  He  could  not  imagine,  as  Watson 
said,  what  should  make  corn  higher  this  year  than  it 
was  last ;  but  at  least  one  gained  nothing  by  worrying, 
though,  as  the  weeks  wore  on,  John  found  himself  wish- 
ing the  corn  could  not  ripen,  so  full  of  dread  was  he 
over  the  result  of  his  crops. 

One  day  as  he  came  in  at  night  unusually  tired  from  a 
long  day's  work,  his  mother  handed  him  a  letter  bearing 
the  postmark  of  New  York  City. 

"  From  Ward  !  "  he  exclaimed  as  he  opened  it,  "  what 
can  have  reminded  him  of  me,  I  wonder  ?  " 


106  WHICH  WINS 

The  letter  was  a  very  interesting  one  to  John,  and  ran 
as  follows :  — 

MY  DEAR  PARSIFAL,  —  You  will  be  surprised,  no  doubt,  to 
hear  from  me,  and  more  surprised  when  I  add  that  I  hope  to  pay 
you  a  visit  before  long,  provided  you  will  consent  to  be  bored  by 
my  practical  self  for  a  few  days.  I  am  thinking  seriously  of  com- 
ing West,  and  am  busy  transferring  my  investments  to  that  region, 
where  one  can  get  a  much  larger  interest  for  one's  money  than 
here.  I  am  particularly  anxious  to  obtain  some  good  mortgages, 
and  would  like  to  investigate  matters  for  myself.  You  must  know 
the  financial  condition  of  most  of  your  neighbors  by  this  time,  and 
can  probably  give  me  a  great  deal  of  valuable  information  about 
land  in  Nebraska.  You  can't  trust  brokers  on  such  matters,  they 
are  all  sharks,  and  I  don't  want  to  waste  any  more  money  on  com- 
missions to  them  than  is  absolutely  necessary.  You  can  see,  there- 
fore, how  much  I  depend  upon  you  for  help. 

You  will  be  surprised  to  learn  that  I  am  thinking  of  matrimony 
also.  Do  you  remember  a  Miss  Woolcott  in  Berlin,  who  played 
very  finely  ?  Well,  she  is  the  happy  person  of  my  choice,  and  I 
think  I  am  to  be  congratulated.  You  recollect,  no  doubt,  that  she 
had  a  fortune  left  her  at  a  very  opportune  time,  and  this  is  partly 
the  occasion  of  my  visit  West.  The  money  is  invested  in  Eastern 
securities  which  bring  quite  a  small  income,  and,  at  her  request,  I 
shall  re-invest  her  funds,  principally  in  mortgages.  She  is  a  verit- 
able child  in  financial  matters,  and  trusts  everything  to  me  ;  so  you 
may  be  sure  I  am  doubly  anxious  to  have  all  satisfactory. 

Miss  Woolcott  is  very  handsome,  you  remember,  and  altogether 
a  credit  to  a  man's  taste;  and  I  hope  you  will  be  able  to  make  her 
acquaintance  before  long. 

With  the  kindest  regards  to  yourself  and  your  mother,  I  remain 
Your  old  friend, 

STEPHEN  WARD. 

John  felt  as  if  the  earth  were  falling  away  from  under 
his  feet  as  he  read  the  letter.  And  Ward  was  going  to 
marry  Miss  Woolcott ! 

"  Why,  the  girl  is  an  idealist ! "  he  thought  to  himself. 
"  How  can  she  think  of  marrying  a  man  like  Ward  ?  " 

Yet  what  difference  did  it  make  to  him,  whom  Miss 
Woolcott  married  ?  he  reflected,  realizing  bitterly  what  a 


AN  UNSUSPECTED  LOVER  107 

large  place  in  his  dreams  her  face  had  occupied  through 
all  the  years  of  his  exile. 

"  It's  perfectly  natural  that  she  should  marry  Ward," 
he  added,  "  he  is  rich  and  prosperous,  in  every  way  what 
is  considered  a  good  match ;  and  if  she  had  chosen 
between  us  she  would  have  taken  him,  no  doubt. 

"And  how  could  she  ever  guess  how  much  a  poor 
farmer  in  Nebraska  has  thought  of  her  ?  "  he  reflected 
sadly.  "I've  been  in  love  with  an  ideal,  and  never 
knew  it.  When  I  meet  Mrs.  Ward  I  shall  probably  find 
she  has  nothing  in  common  with  my  thoughts  of  her. 

"But  he  is  going  to  invest  her  fortune  in  mortgages," 
said  John  to  himself ;  "  that  is  about  the  worst  sarcasm 
on  the  fallacy  of  trying  to  right  eternal  wrongs  with 
little  individual  virtues,  I  ever  heard  of.  Invest  her 
fortune  in  mortgages  !  Very  likely  he'll  buy  the  mort- 
gage on  my  farm ! "  and  John  looked  quizzical  even 
through  the  sadness  of  his  face  as  he  folded  the  letter 
and  put  it  in  his  pocket. 

"  Watson,"  he  said,  as  they  were  returning  to  the  field 
after  dinner,  "'it's  a  difficult  thing  to  try  to  mend  other 
people's  troubles  in  this  world,  isn't  it  ?  " 

"Wai,"  replied  Watson,  meditating,  "things  has  got 
so  darned  wrong  in  this  here  universe,  that  ef  ye  start 
to  put  anythin'  straight,  ye  run  a  resk  o'  ruinin'  the  hull 
system.  They  do  say,"  he  added,  "  it's  wrong  to  give  a 
starvin'  man  a  meal  o'  vittles,  'cause  by  feedin'  one  ye 
jist  encourage  five  millions  to  think  maybe  they'll  git 
ther  bellies  filled  some  time.  An'  that  would  be  a  dan- 
gerous racket,  sure  enuff.  Jest  think  o'  five  million 
tramps  —  they  do  say  they's  five  million  on  us  —  sartin' 
o'  gittin'  a  big  meal  o'  vittles ;  why,  'twould  a'most  make 
a  revolution,"  and  Watson  chuckled  at  his  own  concep- 
tion with  huge  enjoyment. 

"Did  you  ever  go  hungry,  Watson?"  asked  John 
curiously. 


108  WHICH  WINS 

"I've  tightened  my  belt  many  a  day  to  keep  from 
feelin'  holler,"  responded  Watson ;  "  an'  I  can't  rightly 
say  as  I'm  sorry  fur  it  neither,"  he  added  seriously, 
"  fur  ther's  many  a  true  thing  a  man  thinks  on  with  an 
empty  stomach,  he  wouldn't  never  come  to  with  a  full 
one ! "  and  Watson  set  the  plough  in  its  new  furrow  and 
started  down  the  field  as  if  he  felt  the  bliss  of  independ- 
ent thinking  more  than  balanced  the  account  with  pur- 
ple and  fine  linen  plus  prejudices.- 

Meanwhile,  John's  thoughts  were  very  busy.  The 
half-acknowledged  hope  which  had  so  suddenly  dropped 
from  his  life,  somehow  made  the  outlook  before  him  far 
drearier,  though  he  cared  less  than  before,  perhaps, 
about  the  future  of  his  crops.  He  considered  seriously 
the  project  of  asking  Ward  to  buy  the  mortgage  on  his 
farm ;  but  feeling  that  it  must  be  asked  as  a  personal 
favor  in  his  failing  condition,  as  Ward  would  not  fore- 
close upon  an  old  friend,  he  decided  that  he  could 
hardly  bring  himself  to  stand  under  so  great  a  financial 
obligation  to  any  one. 

He  would  rather  be  turned  out,  he  said,  for  surely 
with  his  two  hands  he  could  make  as  good  a  living  for 
his  mother  as  she  enjoyed  at  present ;  and  John  thought 
with  a  sudden  contraction  of  the  heart,  of  the  dream  he 
had  cherished  of  bringing  his  mother  a  daughter,  and  of 
a  life  in  a  very  different  circle  from  that  he  saw  closing 
around  him  now. 

But  he  would  not  allow  himself  to  grow  bitter  over 
the  mere  accidents  of  fortune,  or  his  own  idiocy  per- 
haps ;  so  he  determined  to  drive  his  disappointment 
resolutely  from  his  thoughts,  and  allow  nothing  less 
practical  to  enter  there  than  his  financial  condition,  and 
how  best  to  remedy  it.  "  If  there's  a  way  out  I'll  find 
it,"  he  said  sturdily,  —  "  and  if  not  ?  " 


WARD'S  VISIT  AND  HIS  OPINIONS  109 


CHAPTER   XII 
WARD'S  VISIT  AND  HIS  OPINIONS 

THE  corn  was  nearly  ready  to  harvest  when  Ward 
came ;  and  great  was  his  admiration  over  the  vast  grain 
fields,  which  seemed  to  promise  food  for  the  world  in 
their  broad  luxuriance. 

"  Parsifal,"  he  said,  "  you  look  just  as  you  did  when 
we  were  in  college  together ;  a  little  older,  and  a  trifle 
careworn ;  but  farming  hasn't  made  you  a  bit  more  prac- 
tical now,  has  it  ?  " 

"And  you  have  not  grown  to  be  a  poet,  I  fancy," 
replied  John,  looking  at  the  well-dressed,  well-cared-for 
man  of  the  world  beside  him.  "  Things  have  gone  pros- 
perously with  you,  haven't  they,  Ward  ?  You  are  satis- 
fied with  the  world's  treatment  of  you  ?  " 

"  I  don't  think  I  have  anything  to  complain  of  really," 
responded  the  other,  stroking  his  chin  complacently. 
"  I  have  a  comfortable  fortune  which  I  intend  to  more 
than  double  before  long,  and  the  prospect  of  marrying 
one  of  the  handsomest  women  in  New  York  is  not  un- 
attractive, I  fancy."  And  Ward  looked  at  John  out  of 
his  sharp  little  gray  eyes,  as  if  challenging  him  to  an 
equal  exchange  of  confidences. 

"  Ah,  Miss  Woolcott !  to  be  sure,  she  is  handsome," 
admitted  John,  his  brow  contracting  a  little.  "  Is  she  — 
what  shall  I  say  ?  —  companionable  as  well  as  beauti- 
ful ?  "  he  added. 

"  Oh,  well,"  said  Ward,  tapping  his  boot  reflectively, 
"  you  know  a  woman  is  never  like  a  man.  I  think  we 
agree  pretty  well  in  most  things,  but  she  is  more  absorbed 


110  WHICH  WINS 

in  her  music  than  she  will  be  after  she  is  married.  I'll 
have  to  regulate  that  a  little,"  he  added. 

John  smiled.  "  You  speak  as  if  you  didn't  anticipate 
any  trouble  in  regulating  Mrs.  Ward's  affairs,"  he  re- 
marked inquiringly. 

"  Why,  no,  of  course  not,"  said  Ward,  with  some 
quickness.  "  A  woman  always  expects  to  give  up  a  good 
deal  when  she  marries.  It's  natural  that  she  should,  for 
of  course  she  must  consider  her  husband's  tastes  some- 
what. Oh,  I  never  would  want  Katherine  to  give  up 
her  music  entirely ;  it's  too  great  an  accomplishment ; 
but  it  won't  be  the  first  interest  after  her  marriage,  you 
know."  And  Ward  looked  so  thoroughly  self-satisfied, 
that  John  was  obliged  strongly  to  repress  an  inclination 
to  toss  him  into  the  haycock  near  which  they  stood. 

As  they  sat  on  the  piazza  watching  the  rising  moon, 
the  evening  after  Ward's  arrival,  conversation  drifted 
naturally  to  the  latter's  plans,  as  it  always  did  when  he 
was  present,  for  his  own  affairs  occupied  so  large  a  share 
of  his  consciousness,  that,  like  a  considerable  proportion 
of  the  world,  he  frequently  forgot  that  other  people  had 
any.  Ward  was  seated  in  an  easy-chair,  which  had  been 
drawn  out  on  the  piazza,  with  the  prairie  in  all  its  moon- 
lit brilliance  spread  before  him.  John  had  thrown  him- 
self on  the  sward  by  the  steps,  and  Watson,  who  had 
come  over  to  ask  about  the  morrow's  duties,  leaned 
against  a  large  cottonwood  beside  the  piazza,  lingering 
curiously  to  hear  what  the  "  New  Yorker  "  had  to  say. 

"I  don't  exactly  understand  your  plans  for  settling  in 
the  West,  Ward,"  said  John  thoughtfully.  "  I  should 
think  New  York  would  suit  you  better  as  a  place  of 
residence." 

"  Oh,  I  am  not  going  to  move  West  as  you  did,  my 
dear  fellow,"  replied  Ward,  with  a  large  tolerance  for 
John's  weakness  implied  in  his  tone.  "  I  shall  settle  in 


WARD'S  IDEAS   OF   "BUSINESS"  111 

Kansas  City,  and  open  a  broker's  office  in  partnership 
with  Dysart.  I'm  merely  out  here  to  look  over  the  field, 
and  see  what  the  real  prospects  are." 

"  What  made  you  think  of  opening  a  broker's  office  ?  " 
asked  John. 

"  There's  no  business  that  pays  so  well,  and  is  so  safe 
at  present,"  responded  Ward,  with  decision. 

"I  should  think,"  said  John,  "that  as  things  are 
tending  now,  a  broker's  office,  especially  one  which 
dealt  in  farm  mortgages,  would  mean  an  agency  for 
foreclosures." 

"Not  as  much  as  you  think,"  replied  Ward,  brushing 
the  dried  leaves  off  of  the  floor  with  his  cane ;  "  and 
even  if  it  did,  the  profit  to  the  broker  is  large.  You  see, 
a  great  many  people  are  closed  out  for  a  loan  which 
doesn't  begin  to  reach  the  value  of  the  property  it  covers. 
Then,  of  course,  you  get  the  land." 

"  But  there  is  a  very  slow  sale  for  farm  lands  now," 
objected  John,  somewhat  feebly. 

"Parsifal,"  replied  his  friend  solemnly,  "you  never 
would  make  a  broker,  that's  evident.  Supposing  there 
is  a  slow  sale  for  farm  lands,  some  fellow  is  sure  to  turn 
up  who  hasn't  much  money,  and  is  glad  to  get  experience 
by  buying  a  farm  on  time.  He  takes  your  land,  makes 
the  first  payment  on  it,  and  maybe  the  second.  Then 
he  is  done  for,  but  meanwhile  he's  paid  the  taxes,  and 
you  have  the  land  back  again,  plus  the  amount  he  has 
given  you  on  it.  If  you  turn  a  dozen  men  off  the  farm, 
it  means  money  in  your  pocket,  doesn't  it  ?  " 

John  moved  uneasily  as  if  his  resting-place  was  not 
comfortable,  and  there  was  a  curious  sound,  between  a 
snort  and  a  groan,  from  the  tree  where  Watson  stood. 

"  But,  Ward,"  said  John,  after  a  short  pause,  "  doesn't 
that  seem  a  little  like  growing  fat  on  the  misfortunes  of 
other  people  ?  " 


112  WHICH  WINS 

Ward  laughed.  "  You're  such  a  one-sided  fellow, 
Parsifal,"  he  exclaimed,  rising  and  coming  down  the 
steps  so  that  he  could  look  into  John's  face,  bathed  in 
the  moonlight  he  loved  so  dearly;  "you  never  can  seize 
more  than  one  idea  at  a  time,  nor  any  aspect  of  an  affair 
except  that  which  appeals  to  you.  Now  just  stop  a  min- 
ute, and  think  what  the  West  has  become,"  and  with 
a  profound  sense  of  his  own  oratorical  powers,  Ward 
raised  his  hand  to  the  moon  and  went  on.  "  It  has 
grown  in  a  few  decades  to  a  state  of  phenomenal  pros- 
perity which  the  communities  of  the  Old  World  have 
been  hundreds  of  years  in  attaining,  and  how  has  it  done 
so  ?  By  the  beneficent  effect  of  the  mortgage  system. 
Farmers,  who  did  not  have  a  dollar,  so  to  speak,  and  if 
they  were  left  to  their  own  exertions  would  have  passed 
their  lives  as  day-laborers,  have  taken  up  claims,  im- 
proved them,  and  opened  the  door  to  the  great  civilizing 
agencies  of  the  universe ;  and  all  this  because  there  were 
parties  who  were  willing  to  lend  money  on  the  security 
of  land"  — 

"  And  improvements,"  interpolated  Watson,  sotto  voce. 

"And  improvements,"  admitted  Ward,  who  had 
caught  the  muttered  words,  but  failed  to  see  the  innu- 
endo they  conveyed. 

"  What  you  say  about  the  advantage  of  this  phenome- 
nal growth  is,  of  course,  true,"  assented  John  thought- 
fully ;  "  but  it  seems  as  if  the  promoters  of  it  would 
have  a  great  many  crimes  to  answer  for." 

"  Crimes ! "  cried  Ward,  laughing.  "  Why,  man, 
wouldn't  you  feel  like  embracing  the  individual  who 
opened  the  way  for  you  to  carry  out  some  cherished 
plan,  or  make  a  long-thought-of  improvement,  which 
you  had  given  up  all  hope  of  consummating  ?  " 

"Ye  don't  feel  like  embracin'  nobody,  though,  when 
that  'ere  improvement  drops  into  yer  creditors'  lap, 


WARD  AS   A   HUMANITARIAN  113 

'cause  ye  can't  pay  the  interest  on  it,"  remarked  Watson 
with  a  sort  of  growl. 

"  No,  of  course  not,"  admitted  Ward,  walking  up  and 
down  the  path  with  his  hands  under  his  coat-tails,  evi- 
dently enjoying  the  conversation,  and  its  instructive 
effect  upon  the  two  commercial  infants  before  him. 
"  The  man  who  is  closed  out  of  course  feels  a  little  bit- 
ter, but  his  improvements  have  added  just  so  much  to 
the  wealth  of  the  world,  and  some  one  will  get  the  fruits 
of  them." 

"  Look  a-here,  Mr.  Ward,"  said  Watson,  "  I'm  a  igno- 
rant man,  an'  can't  argy  with  scholars  like  you,  but  do 
ye  mean  to  say  it's  all  fair  an'  squar  fur  a  nabob  to  rake 
in  the  savin's  o'  the  poor  farmers,  an'  pat  hisself  on  the 
back  fur  bein'  a  benefactor  to  the  world  ?  " 

"  Why,  I  don't  say  benefactor  exactly,"  replied  Ward, 
with  tolerance,  feeling  some  surprise  that  John  allowed 
this  farm  hand  to  take  a  share  in  the  conversation  with- 
out reproof ;  "  but  I  am  merely  showing  you  that  the 
money  thus  invested  has  a  beneficent  effect  upon  the 
country  at  large,  and  that  it  is  unfair  to  judge  the  world 
from  too  purely  personal  a  standpoint."  And  Ward 
swelled  a  little  as  he  added,  pompously,  "  We  grow  self- 
ish in  our  standpoint  before  we  realize  it,  Parsifal,  as 
I  believe  you  used  to  argue,  if  we  don't  look  at  the  world 
with  other  people's  eyes  occasionally." 

"  We  do,  undoubtedly,  Ward,"  said  John,  laughing 
a  little,  "though  I  hardly  expected  to  have  my  argu- 
ments turned  against  me  in  that  style,  and  I  am  afraid 
it  will  be  a  long  time  before  I  can  use  your  eyes  with 
satisfaction." 

"If  you  only  had  my  opportunities,"  replied  Ward, 
"  the  eyes  might  grow,  I  fancy.  Now  look  here  a 
moment,  and  let  me  show  you  the  immense  advantage 
of  the  broker's  office,"  he  added.  "  Here  is  the  Eastern 


ll  WHICH  WINS 

capitalist ;  lie  sends  his  money  to  us,  that  we  may  in- 
vest it  for  him,  and  he  is  satisfied  with  a  small  rate  of 
interest.  We  know  the  ground,  and  place  it  for  him, 
getting  a  commission  of  ten  or  fifteen  per  cent  on  the 
loan.  And  very  likely  also  we  can  retain  a  percentage 
of  the  interest  which  passes  through  our  hands ;  of 
course  it's  perfectly  honest  to  do  so,"  he  added  hastily, 
seeing  an  odd  expression  on  John's  face.  "  The  Eastern 
man  gets  all  he  wants,  more  than  he  could  receive  in  the 
East." 

"  An'  I  s'pose  the  pore  feller  what  borries  the  money, 
he  gits  experence,"  remarked  Watson  inquiringly. 

"He  gets  a  great  many  things,"  replied  Ward,  with 
condescension ;  "  but  we're  looking  at  the  broker  now. 
You'd  think  that  such  an  opportunity  for  profit  as  that 
would  satisfy  any  man,  would  you  not  ?  "  he  continued. 
"  But  that  isn't  half  of  the  story.  He  has  innumerable 
ways  of  turning  an  honest  penny ;  for  instance,  suppose 
the  borrower  fails  to  pay  his  interest.  The  broker  can 
send  on  the  instalment  to  the  Eastern  holder  of  the 
mortgage,  saying  nothing  about  the  failure  of  his 
client "  — 

"Wai,  hold  on  !  that's  mighty  good  on  him  !  I'd  hardly 
a-thought  it  now ! "  interjected  Watson,  becoming  sud- 
denly excited.  "  I'm  afeard  I've  ben  a-doin'  injustice  to 
ye  in  my  own  mind,  Mr.  Ward." 

"Say,  Thurston,"  remarked  Ward,  with  some  impa- 
tience, "  I  wish  you'd  give  this  wild  Nebraskan  of  yours 
a  few  lessons  in  common  politeness,  if  you  please ;  I'd 
like  to  have  some  liberty  of  speech." 

"  Watson's  all  right,"  said  John  quietly ;  "  he  doesn't 
mean  any  harm,  Ward,  so  go  ahead." 

Thus  adjured,  Ward  picked  up  the  thread  of  talk  with 
a  trifle  less  assurance  in  his  manner.  "You  see,"  he 
said,  fingering  his  heavy  jewelled  seal,  "  I'm  talking  about 


DOES  MONEY  MAKE  FRIENDS  115 

business  now,  not  philanthropy,  and  there's  considerable 
difference,  you  understand.  Supposing,  as  I  say,  the 
broker  sends  on  the  remittance  for  the  borrower's  inter- 
est ;  the  latter  comes  in  to  see  about  the  matter,  after 
the  date  has  passed,  and  is  told  that  the  interest  has  not 
been  paid  in  time,  and  a  foreclosure  is  imminent.  He 
is  ready  to  do  anything,  for  the  law  gives  the  creditor 
the  right  to  foreclose  as  soon  as  the  first  payment  of  in- 
terest fails;  and  the  unfortunate  borrower  is  generally 
glad  to  pay  another  commission  of  fifteen  per  cent  to  the 
broker,  to  induce  him  to  renew  the  loan,  and  maybe  a 
bonus  besides." 

"  Why,  Ward,  that  is  simply  horrible  ! "  cried  John, 
earnestly.  "  You  don't  mean  to  say  you're  going  into  a 
business  of  that  sort  ?  " 

"  Oh,  a  human  bein'  ain't  got  no  rights  jist  from  bein' 
born  ! "  remarked  Watson.  "  Ye  don't  consarn  the  com- 
munity much  'thout  ye  got  money  in  yere  pocket ;  an' 
that  there's  God's  truth ! " 

"Parsifal,  I  suppose  it's  useless  to  try  and  make  you 
understand  the  matter,"  said  Ward,  a  trifle  impatiently. 
"  Of  course,  the  laws  are  favorable  to  the  lender,  they 
must  be  so  for  the  protection  of  society.  The  man  who 
gives  his  money  must  have  some  assurance  of  getting  it 
back  again,  and  only  the  law  can  provide  this  for  him. 
Why,  how  many  men  would  pay  a  loan,  do  you  think,  if 
they  were  not  compelled  to  ?  and  the  capitalist  is  the 
important  element  in  society ;  the  element  which  main- 
tains public  morality,  and  the  progressive  forces  of  the 
world.  Some  one  must  be  sacrificed  in  the  evolution  of 
civilization,  and  the  law  of  the  survival  of  the  fittest 
holds  good  here  as  elsewhere  ;  the  least  worthy  goes 
under.  The  poorer  classes  are  the  dregs  of  society,  and 
they  naturally  suffer." 

"  Yes  !  "  ejaculated  Watson,  in  a  tone  which  indicated 


116  WHICH  WINS 

that  he  could  not  keep  still  any  longer,  "  the  Lord  He 
makes  the  vermin  to  fill  the  big  folks'  pockets,  jist  like 
He  makes  the  little  fishes  fur  the  whales  to  fatten  on ; 
but  ef  ye  thinks  them  vermin  is  allays  a-goiu'  to  be 
swallered  amiably,  ye're  rnistakin'  the  thing  amazin',  an' 
that's  the  truth  on't." 

"  Why,  Watson,"  said  Ward  mildly,  « I  didn't  mean 
to  offend  you,  I'm  sure.  I  was  talking  in  the  abstract, 
and  had  no  idea  of  being  personal." 

"  Wai,  I'm  opposed  to  that  there  sort  o'  abstract,  then  ! " 
responded  Watson.  "  You  rich  folks  thinks  as  how  us 
workin'men  ain't  nothin'  but  cattle,  nohow ;  Taut  ther's 
lots  of  us  that's  got  souls,  ef  we  ain't  eddicated,  an'  we 
does  a  heap  more  thinkin'  than  ye  give  us  credit  fur,  I 
kin  tell  ye." 

"  Ward,"  began  John,  as  Watson  relapsed  into  sombre 
silence,  "  I  can't  bear  to  hear  you  talk  so  coolly  about 
that  loan  business.  It's  always  seemed  to  me  to  be  a 
growing  curse  of  our  country,  that  the  money  accumu- 
lates in  the  hands  of  a  few  persons,  and  then  can  only 
be  doled  out  at  a  ruinous  interest  to  those  who  need  it 
most." 

"Well,  Parsifal,  you  always  would  mix  up  sentiment 
with  business  !  "  exclaimed  Ward.  "  The  two  things 
have  absolutely  nothing  in  common,  and  they  ruin  each 
other.  The  laws  of  trade  necessitate  the  accumulation 
of  capital,  and  the  law  of  self-protection  governs  the 
loaning  of  it,  and  no  man  is  to  blame." 

"  But,  Ward !  "  cried  John,  who  had  risen  in  his  turn, 
"  sentiment  and  business  ought  to  go  together.  Suppose 
trade  could  flow  through  perfectly  unrestricted  channels, 
under  the  direct  control  of  the  people,  you  would  have 
no  such  vile  accumulation  of  capital ;  or,  if  that  were 
not  possible,  suppose  the  government  should  loan  money 
to  the  people  at  one  or  two  per  cent,  as  is  done  in 


THE  INTEREST  SPECTRE  117 

Germany,  you  would  have  all  the  beneficent  effects  of  ap- 
plied capital,  without  this  horrible  sacrifice  of  individuals. 
Wouldn't  that  be  much  better  ?  " 

"Oh,  of  course,  but  then  the  government  don't  do 
that,  and  you  always  exaggerate  the  sufferings  caused  by 
any  such  system,"  said  Ward  coldly ;  "  it  is  not  half  so 
bad  as  you  imaginative  people  think." 

"  I  am  sure  it  is  far  worse  than  any  imaginative  per- 
son can  fancy,  unless  he  has  been  through  it,  Ward," 
replied  John ;  "  and  it  is  founded  on  the  iniquitous 
sysjtem  of  interest,  which  "  — 

"  For  Heaven's  sake,  Thurston,  don't  open  that  sub- 
ject," cried  Ward,  with  deep  disgust.  "  I'm  not  inter- 
ested in  political  economy,  and  I'm  not  a  crank,  and  I 
most  certainly  do  believe  in  interest  money ;  so  you'll 
waste  your  breath." 

"Wot  wor  that  tale  you  wor  a-tellin'  me  about  a  young 
artist,  Mr.  Thurston  ?  "  asked  Watson,  who  never 
missed  the  application  of  anything  he  heard,  "he  wor 
a  mtrust-bearin'  one,  I  reckon." 

"Sure  enough,  it's  just  a  case  in  point !"  exclaimed 
John.  "You  remember  that  gifted  young  Fleming, 
Ward  ?  He  went  to  Paris  last  year,  feeling  the  need 
of  more  inspiration.  He  is  poor,  of  course,  but  his 
brother  is  unmarried  and  receives  a  large  salary.  His 
father  is  a  wealthy  man.  Poor  Fleming  had  no  money 
to  go  on,  so  his  brother  lent  him  a  moderate  sum,  taking 
a  mortgage  on  his  pictures,  which  will  some  day  be  very 
valuable.  Now  he  is  living  in  Paris  on  twenty  sous  a 
day,  with  all  the  work  of  his  life,  so  far,  lost  to  him, 
unless  he  can  keep  up  the  interest  on  the  sum  he  was 
forced  to  borrow.  Such  a  piece  of  brotherly  injustice 
fills  you  with  horror,"  cried  John,  standing  still,  and 
lifting  up  his  face  to  the  white  moon  so  far  away,  "but 
I  say  the  broker  who  takes  a  farm  away  from  a  poor 


118  WHICH  WINS 

fellow  who  cannot  pay  the  interest — especially  if  he 
has  been  coaxed  into  borrowing  —  is  just  as  inhuman. 
Fleming's  case  only  points  a  moral  we  can  read  every- 
where in  our  abominable  economic  system,  if  we  will 
only  open  our  eyes  to  see  it." 

"  Say,  Parsifal ! "  said  Ward,  laying  his  hand  on 
John's  shoulder,  "  I'll  take  back  what  I  said  last  night. 
You're  a  million  times  worse  than  you  were  in  Berlin. 
I  believe  you're  a  socialist,  and  an  anarchist,  and  a  single- 
tax  man,  boiled  down.  What  have  you  been  doing  to 
yourself  to  imbibe  such  incendiary  notions  in  this  out- 
of-the-way  place  anyhow  ?  " 

John  smiled  and  said  nothing,  for  he  felt  how  useless 
it  would  be  to  reveal  his  thoughts  further  to  a  man  of 
Ward's  calibre.  He  remembered  their  youth  together. 
Ward  had  been  a  conservative,  rather  selfish  fellow,  but 
they  had  always  tolerated  and  understood  each  other's 
attitudes ;  and  it  puzzled  him  to  see  how  Ward  had 
hardened,  how  his  sympathies  had  not  narrowed  but 
disappeared  utterly  under  the  shell  of  egotism,  which 
had  apparently  walled  him  in  from  all  the  world. 

After  they  had  said  good-night,  he  stood  thinking  for 
some  time.  "  Is  it  money-making  that  has  changed  him 
so  ?  "  John  asked  himself,  "  and  does  the  greed  for  gain 
so  eat  into  a  man's  soul  that  humanity  disappears 
entirely  ?  I  would  rather  be  a  tramp,  turned  out  of 
every  farm  in  the  State  of  Nebraska,"  he  said,  setting 
his  lips  together,  "  than  grow  incapable  of  seeing  the 
world  except  through  the  eyes  of  self-interest." 

Then  he  thought  of  Miss  Woolcott,  and  as  he  realized 
that  she  was  to  be  Ward's  wife  he  paced  up  and  down 
his  little  room,  feeling  that  he  must  prevent  such  a 
sacrifice. 

"  She  is  not  a  fighter,"  he  said,  as  the  pure  face  rose 
in  his  memory  once  more,  and  he  recalled  what  had 


THE  KNIGHT  AND  THE  DRAGON  119 

been  said  about  Miss  Woolcott's  incapacity  for  making 
her  own  way  in  the  world.  The  conviction  strengthened 
within  him,  that  she  was  a  'victim  to  conventionality 
now,  in  some  way,  as  circumstances  had  almost  forced 
her  to  be  once  before,  and  he  felt  a  sort  of  rage  at  the 
compliance  he  imagined  her  giving  to  a  union,  which,  to 
judge  from  Ward's  own  manner  of  speaking,  was  not 
congenial  to  her. 

"  Why  can't  she  live  her  life  ?  "  he  thought  angrily. 
"  She  has  money  enough,  and  a  profession  which  alone 
ought  to  bring  her  a  competence  ;  and  what  can  Ward 
offer  that  will  equal  the  independence  he  forces  her  to 
give  up  ?  " 

Wearied  with  so  many  baseless  speculations,  John  fell 
asleep,  only  to  dream  of  rescuing  Miss  Woolcott  again 
from  the  power  of  a  demon  who  resembled  Ward,  and  at 
last  to  see  her  die  in  his  clutches.  "  It  shall  not  be !  I 
must  save  her  in  spite  of  everything  !  "  cried  John,  and 
so  crying,  Avoke  to  find  the  sun  shining  in  at  his  windows, 
and  nothing  more  tragical  in  prospect,  than  the  dimly 
presaged  consequences  of  the  broker's  office  which 
Ward  intended  to  open. 


120  WHICH  WINS 


CHAPTER   XIII 

THE    KICH    MAN'S    FRIENDSHIP 

WARD'S  surprise  was  great  wh'en  he  learned  John's 
real  financial  condition ;  and  it  is  to  be  feared  his  respect 
for  his  friend's  opinions  lessened  somewhat,  when  he 
saw  that  he  no  longer  spoke  from  the  standpoint  of  the 
man  who  has  lost  nothing,  and  must  rather  be  regarded 
as  one  of  those  dangerous  thinkers  who  have  nothing  to 
lose. 

John  wondered  a  little  at  first  as  to  whether  his  friend 
would  offer  to  help  him  out,  by  holding  his  mortgage 
until  he  could  redeem  his  farm ;  but  if  such  a  suggestion 
had  ever  entered  Ward's  mind,  he  gave  no  hint  of  it,  and 
satisfied  himself  with  expressing  a  sympathy  for  his 
friend's  condition,  which  John  could  not  but  feel  was 
mingled  with  a  suspicion  of  scorn  for  his  inability  to 
find  a  way  out  of  his  difficulties. 

He  was  rather  inclined  to  agree  with  Watson,  who  said 
to  him  one  day,  as  they  were  harnessing  the  horses  pre- 
paratory to  entering  the  cornfield,  — 

"  Is  all  them  capitalists  alike,  Mr.  Thurston  ?  " 

"  What  capitalists,  Watson  ?  I  don't  understand  you," 
replied  John. 

"Why,  them  money  fellers  an'  brokers  Mr.  Ward's 
a-talking  about,  —  Bingham  an'  sich,  ye  know.  They 
seem  to  think  as  how  money  is  a  sort  o'  pass-word  to 
God's  grace,  an'  them  as  ain't  got  none  jist  better  go 
home  an'  bust,  hey  ?  " 

"  0  Watson,"  said  John,  laughing,  "  they're  not  all  like 


WARD'S  TENDENCIES  121 

that;  but  money  is  of  so  much  importance  nowadays, 
that  I  do  think  those  who  have  it  are  a  little  inclined  to 
value  themselves  higher  than  those  who  have  none.  As 
far  as  I  am  concerned/'  he  added,  "  I  wouldn't  dare  to 
try  the  experiment  of  being  a  rich  man.  I  should  be 
afraid  of  turning  into  a  regular  snob." 

John  never  forgot  the  expression  of  Watson's  face  as 
he  turned  toward  him  for  a  moment.  "  Mr.  Thurston," 
he  cried,  "  I  wouldn't  never  be  afeared  o'  that  fur  you ; 
an'  fur  me,  I've  knowed  that  death-in-life  o'  poverty  so 
long,  that  ef  I  hed  money,  I'd  jist  gether  as  many  folks 
as  I  could,  an'  make  'em  live  off'n  it,  I  tell  ye ! " 

During  the  remainder  of  his  visit,  Ward  was  a  con- 
tinual study  to  John ;  and  comparison  with  his  friend's 
mental  attitude  made  him  realize  keenly  how  far  he  him- 
self had  deviated  from  the  accepted  standpoint  of  selfish 
thinking  and  conventional  doing.  As  they  drove  over 
the  country  together,  John  was  amused  at  the  practical 
skill  with  which  Ward  counted  up  the  financial  value  of 
every  homestead,  and  could  not  help  feeling  somewhat 
shocked  at  the  frankness  with  which  he  invariably  went 
to  work  to  find  out  whether  a  man  was  "  mortgaged,"  as 
he  expressed  it.  He  evidently  felt  flattered  at  John's 
surprise  over  his  all-devouring  eagerness  in  money  mat- 
ters, and  appeared  to  have  no  doubts  as  to  the  nobility 
of  the  faculty  he  had  cultivated  to  such  an  exaggerated 
degree. 

John's  mind  was  full  of  sensitive  queries  about  the 
happiness  of  the  future  Mrs.  Ward,  and  he  asked  his 
friend  one  day  if  Miss  Woolcott's  sympathy  was  with 
him  in  his  keen  pursuit  of  wealth. 

"She?"  replied  Ward  laughing.  "She  never  knows 
whether  she  has  any  income  left  or  not.  She's  likely  to 
empty  her  pocketbook  in  the  hand  of  the  first  beggar 
she  sees  when  she  goes  out  in  the  morning,  and  I  don't 


122  WHICH  WINS 

think  there  is  anything  she  has  such  a  profound  contempt 
for  as  money.  It  is  the  veriest  stuff,  she  says  ;  the  only 
thing  in  life  worth  living  for  is  art,  you  know ! "  and 
Ward  threw  back  his  head  and  laughed,  as  he  remem- 
bered the  superb  scorn  of  Katherine's  expression  when 
she  made  that  toploftical  remark.  "  You  and  she  would 
come  as  near  setting  the  world  on  fire  as  any  people  I 
ever  met,  Parsifal,"  he  added.  "  And  business !  she 
knows  as  much  about  business  as  a  sleeping  infant. 
You  ought  to  have  seen  her  when  I  came  away.  She 
said  to  me  very  solemnly,  '  Stephen,  you  said  something 
about  putting  my  money  in  mortgages.  I've  heard  of 
mortgages  causing  trouble  to  people,  though  I  don't 
quite  know  about  it ;  and  I  want  you  to  distinctly  under- 
stand, Stephen,  that  nobody  is  to  be  turned  out  with  my 
money  ! '  Oh,  the  air  with  which  she  said  that !  It  was 
inimitable  ;  and  do  you  know,  she  has  given  me  a  power 
of  attorney  which  enables  me  to  control  every  dollar  she 
has !  Oh,  Katherine  is  a  rare  one  for  business,  I  tell 
you ! "  and  Ward  chuckled  to  himself,  as  if  the  satisfac- 
tion of  having  such  a  piece  of  incapacity  entirely  in  his 
power  was  almost  enough  to  upset  his  equilibrium. 

One  day  shortly  before  his  departure,  he  drove  over  to 
Fulton  alone,  announcing  that  he  wished  to  make  some 
inquiries  in  the  various  brokers'  offices  there  in  regard 
to  investments.  Ward's  mind  had,  in  fact,  been  running 
upon  John's  farm,  ever  since  he  had  learned  of  his  un- 
fortunate financial  condition.  The  farm,  was  a  very  fine 
one,  the  house  attractive  and  commodious,  and  altogether 
the  place  made  a  charming  impression,  as  Ward  had  said 
to  himself  again  and  again.  And  the  mortgage  upon  it 
was  only  three  thousand  dollars. 

"He'll  lose  it,  sure,"  said  Ward  to  himself,  "and  I 
might  as  well  have  it  as  old  Leverson.  I  could  farm  it 
in  conjunction  with  Bingham,  or  sell  it;  and  I  just 


A  POLITE  SORT  OF  STEALING       123 

believe  I'll  apply  some  of  Kate's  money  to  lifting  the 
mortgage,  if  I  can  do  so  without  Thurston's  finding  out 
the  matter.  I  might  as  well  do  it,"  he  continued ; 
"Thurston  would  worry  along  a  little  while  longer,  of 
course,  if  I  helped  him,  but  it's  really  better  for  him  to 
be  compelled  to  give  up  the  farm.  He  can  come  to 
Kansas  City,  and  I'll  give  him  a  place  in  my  office  at 
seventy-five  or  a  hundred  dollars  a  month.  I  don't 
believe  he  can  keep  books,  but  we  could  make  him  use- 
ful in  some  way ;  and  I  don't  see  why  I  shouldn't  have 
that  farm  as  well  as  anybody,  as  long  as  it's  got  to  go," 
he  concluded,  returning  to  his  original  proposition. 

He  found  Mr.  Leverson  a  pleasant,  easy  old  gentleman, 
who  seemed  too  content  with  the  world  to  have  made  a 
fortune  out  of  mortgages.  Ward  discussed  the  condi- 
tion of  business  generally,  and  was  relieved  to  find  the 
old  gentleman  much  less  pessimistic  than  John,  while 
he  listened  with  delighted  approval  to  Ward's  descrip- 
tion of  the  beneficent  effects  of  the  mortgage  system. 

"Yes,"  he  said,  rubbing  his  hands,  "there's  no  doubt 
a  great  deal  of  truth  in  what  you  say,  Mr.  Ward ;  and 
while  no  one  deplores  the  sufferings  of  the  farmers  more 
than  I  do,  still  I  realize  how  their  very  sufferings,  as 
you  say,  have  helped  the  country  to  develop."  And  Mr. 
Leverson  smiled  in  a  way  which  showed  that  with  all 
his  benevolence,  he  could  tolerate  the  suffering  of  others 
when  his  own  advancement  depended  upon  it. 

Ward  made  various  inquiries  as  to  several  investments 
lie  had  heard  of,  and  gradually  led  the  conversation 
around  to  the  subject  of  John's  farm. 

"  Beautiful  place !  beautiful  place  ! "  exclaimed  Mr. 
Leverson.  "Now  there's  a  small  investment  for  some 
one  who  wants  a  perfectly  safe  thing.  Eight  per  cent 
interest  that  you  are  sure  of,  for  Mr.  Thurston,  I  under- 
stand, is  a  man  of  wealth ;  and  if  any  unforeseen  acci- 


124  WHICH  WINS 

dent  should  make  a  foreclosure  necessary,  there  is  the 
most  ample  security.  You  are  a  friend  of  Mr.  JThurs- 
ton's,"  added  Leverson,  "  aud  if  you  would  like  to  take 
that  mortgage  off  my  hands,  I  should  be  glad  to  accom- 
modate you.  Mr.  Thurston  would  probably  prefer  that 
you  hold  it ;  and  if  I  had  the  money  I  have  put  into  it, 
I  could  use  it  to  advantage  elsewhere." 

"  I  don't  care  to  take  it,"  replied  Ward  cautiously,  and 
conscious  of  a  slight  feeling  of  discomfort  in  the  trans- 
action. "But  I  know  a  man  in  Kansas  City  who  is 
looking  for  just  such  things,  and  I'll  mention  it  to  him." 

Then,  satisfied  that  he  understood  perfectly  the  terms 
of  the  mortgage,  Ward  bowed  himself  out,  leaving  Mr. 
Leverson  to  grow  eloquent  over  the  intelligence  and 
enterprise  of  New  Yorkers  in  general,  and  Mr.  Ward  in 
particular.  Ward,  meanwhile,  as  he  drove  homeward 
over  the  moonlit  prairie,  formulated  his  scheme  for  get- 
ting possession  of  John's  farm,  and  pictured  to  himself 
Katherine's  surprise  when  she  learned  that  it  was  possi- 
ble to  receive  eight  per  cent  for  her  money  or  more,  just 
as  well  as  five. 

"But  she  won't  get  it,"  chuckled  Ward  to  himself. 
"  She  might  just  as  well  learn  a  little  bit  of  sense  about 
money  matters,  and  I'll  take  care  of  her  income,  and  see 
that  it  isn't  wasted,  if  possible." 


MAGGIE  DECIDES  TO  GO   INTO  BUSINESS     125 


CHAPTER  XIV 

MAGGIE    DECIDES    TO    GO    INTO    BUSINESS 

THERE  was  quite  an  excitement  in  the  Watson  cottage 
one  morning  shortly  after  Mr.  Ward's  departure,  when 
Maggie  announced  to  the  assembled  family  that  she  was 
going  to  leave  them.  She  had  been  preparing  for  her 
flitting  all  summer,  but  no  one  realized  that  she  would 
really  go  until  the  supreme  moment. 

"  Wot's  the  matter  of  ye,  Mag  ?  Ye  ain't  mad  about 
nothin',  be  ye  ?  "  exclaimed  her  father. 

"  No,"  said  Maggie ;  "  I  ain't  mad  at  nothin'  but 
things.  I'm  mad  at  stayin'  hearin'  mother  whine,  an' 
you  talkin'  'bout  the  country  goin'  ter  the  dogs,  an' 
nobody  doin'  nothin'.  I'm  goin'  ter  branch  out,  that's 
all,  an'  do  somethin'  fur  myself,  me  an'  Marie  Leifert." 

"Wot?  Marie  Leifert?  is  she  in  it  too?"  cried 
Watson,  in  surprise.  "  Wot's  the  old  man  got  to  say  to 
that  ?  " 

"It  don't  make  no  difference  wot  he  says,"  replied 
Maggie,  doing  up  a  clean  calico  dress  with  vigor.  "  We're 
a-goin'  all  the  same." 

"Well,  I  dunno  wot  me  an'  the  young  uns'll  do," 
said  Mrs.  Watson,  beginning  to  cry,  "  an'  the  baby  that 
cross,  nobody  can't  do  nothin'  with  him  but  you,  an' 
winter  comin'  on  "  — 

"Well,  that's  jist  why  I'm  a-goin'!"  said  Maggie 
quickly.  "  I  kin  git-  good  wages  out  to  service,  an'  it'll 
help  lots ;  an'  mebbe  I  kin  find  somethin'  fur  father  to 
do  in  town.  Ye  needn't  think  I'm  a-goin'  to  stay  a  hired 


126  WHICH  WINS 

girl  all  my  days,"  she  added.  "  Father's  taught  me 
book-keepin'  an'  ciphering  an'  I'm  a-goin'  to  learn  ste- 
nography an'  typewritin' ;  an'  the  fust  thing  this  fam'ly 
knows,  I'll  be  as  fine  as  anybody,  an'  help  out  fur  the  rest 
on  ye  too,"  added  Maggie,  with  a  laugh  arid  a  nourish 
which  made  the  little  ones  cheer  up,  and  nearly  dried 
her  mother's  tears. 

"  Wai  now,  Mag,"  said  her  father  dryly,  "  'twon't  be 
long,  I  reckon,  afore  ye  gits  ter  be  a  reg'lar  capitalist, 
an'  then  ye'll  be  a-callin'  on  us  cattle  an'  warmints  an' 
all  them  other  names  Mr.  Ward  were  so  fond  o'  usiri' ; 
but  I  don't  rightly  see  how  we  kin  git  on  without  ye,  an' 
that's  flat."  And  Watson  drew  his  coat-cuff  suddenly 
across  his  eyes  in  a  suspicious  fashion.  "  But  I'm  real 
glad  ye've  got  some  git  up  in  ye,"  he  added ;  "  an'  ye 
won't  settle  down  to  be  no  sech  old  hunks  as  yer  father 
afore  ye ! " 

"  Father,  ye  ain't  no  right  to  call  yerself  sich  names," 
cried  Maggie  impetuously,  throwing  her  arms  around 
her  father's  neck.  "Yerjist  the  best  ole  feller  in  the 
world,  an'  I  wouldn't  trade  ye  fur  a  millionnaire,  so  there 
now ! " 

"Wai,  that's  pretty  good,"  replied  Watson  much 
delighted,  for  he  was  very  fond  of  his  children.  "  An' 
I'd  like  ter  ask  when  this  here  young  capitalist  is  a-goin' 
ter  jump  the  ranch  ?  " 

"  I'm  a-goin'  this  arternoon,"  said  Maggie ;  "  an'  I 
thought  mebbe  as  how  Mr.  Thurston  he'd  let  you  drive 
us  over  to  Fulton." 

"I'll  ax  him,"  replied  Watson,  turning  toward  the 
door.  "  An'  I  reckon  the  ole  lady'll  be  plumb  broke  up 
about  yer  leavin'." 

In  fact,  Mrs.  Thurston  had  grown  so  accustomed  to 
Maggie's  freely  offered  assistance,  since  the  Watsons 
had  come  to  occupy  the  little  cottage  on  the  farm,  that 


MAGGIE'S  DEPARTURE  127 

she  wondered  sometimes  what  she  had  done  before  she 
came ;  and  it  was  with  a  sensation  of  despair  that  she 
heard  Watson's  announcement  of  his  daughter's  resolu- 
tion. She  sat  down  on  a  chair,  looking  almost  ready  to 
cry,  while  she  exclaimed,  — 

"  Well,  Watson,  is  it  ever  going  to  end  ?  " 

"Wot  a-goin'  ter  end,  Mis'  Thurston?"  inquired 
Watson,  wondering  what  had  come  over  the  old  lady. 

"Why,  everything,"  she  replied;  "it  seems  to  me, 
just  as  I  get  accustomed  to  one  seb  of  troubles,  and  begin 
to  think  I  can  bear  them  maybe,  another  comes  along 
that  I  never  dreamed  of.  I  couldn't  endure  Maggie 
when  I  first  knew  her,  Watson,  if  you'll  excuse  me  for 
saying  it ;  but  really,  since  our  misfortune,  she's  been  so 
good  that  I  never  wanted  to  lose  her  again.  Can't  you 
persuade  her  to  stay  awhile  yet  ?  "  she  added  anxiously. 

"Wai,  ye  see,  Mis'  Thurston,  I  don't  ezackly  like  ter 
do  that,  'cause  it's  sech  a  darned  good  thing  fur  her 
(excuse  me)  ter  git  off.  Maggie  ain't  no  or'nary  girl, 
nohow.  She  kin  do  most  anything  from  custard  pie  to 
mental  arithmetic,  an'  I  do  like  ter  think  she's  a-goin' 
ter  hev  a  chance  ter  make  suthin'  o'  herself." 

"  But,  Watson,  it  seems  to  me  a  great  deal  better  for 
a  girl  like  Maggie  to  content  herself  with  her  station 
in  life,  and  not  get  notions  in  her  head,"  cried  Mrs. 
Thurston  with  some  acerbity.  "If  she  does  her  duty 
to  her  mother  and  you,  I  think  it  is  a  great  deal  more 
praiseworthy  than  wanting  to  get  above  her  proper  posi- 
tion. Typewriting  indeed  !  what  does  a  girl  like  Maggie 
know  about  typewriting  ?  Though  I  must  say  it  always 
struck  me  that  those  typewriters  were  a  very  common 
class  of  young. women."  And  Mrs.  Thurston  rose  sud- 
denly, and  began  to  move  briskly  about  her  work,  as  if 
determined  to  show  Watson  that  she  was  not  dependent 
upon  any  girl  so  full  of  notions  as  Maggie, 


128  WHICH  WINS 

Watson  stood  hesitating  for  a  moment,  not  knowing 
exactly  how  to  broach  the  next  subject  in  the  most 
politic  and  taking  manner. 

"  There's  Rose,  Mis'  Thurston,"  he  remarked  at  last ; 
"  she's  gittin'  ter  be  a  likely  gal,  an'  she  kin  do  most  any 
chore  round  the  house  now.  I'd  call  it  a  great  favor  ef 
ye'd  let  Rose  come  in  an'  help  oncet  in  a  while ;  fur  her 
ma,  ye  know,  Mis'  Thurston,  can't  give  her  no  trainin', 
an'  she  could  larn  a  lot  o'  things  from  a  lady  like  you, 
that  her  ma  ain't  never  knowed." 

"  Well,  I  haven't  come  down  to  Rose  yet,  Watson,  but 
I  may.  There's  no  telling  when  my  health  will  give 
out,  with  the  strain  I'm  living  under,"  said  Mrs.  Thurs- 
ton, and  she  stirred  her  corn  bread  with  a  vigor  which 
was  anything  but  suggestive  of  failing  health. 

"  Ye  don't  set  much  store  by  socialism  yet,  do  ye,  Mis' 
Thurston  ?  "  remarked  Watson  inquiringly,  determined 
to  try  a  new  tack,  and  placate  the  old  lady,  if  possible. 

"Socialism!"  cried  Mrs.  Thurston,  "I  don't  know 
what  you  mean  by  asking  me  such  a  question  as  that, 
Watson  ;  you  understand  very  well  that  I  don't  tolerate 
such  wicked  nonsense." 

"Wai,  folks  don't  generally  when  they  has  plenty," 
responded  Watson  carefully;  "but  I  were  jist  a-thinkin' 
ef  we  had  socialism,  ye  see,  ther'd  be  some  sort  o'  'range- 
ment  fur  us  all  to  be  livin'  together  in  harmony,  an' 
Maggie  she  wouldn't  have  ter  be  a-goin'  off  typewriting 
an'  Ward  an'  Bingham  an'  that  rot  would  be  bio  wed  up, 
an'  you  an'  Mr.  John'd  be  a  sort  o'  settin'  an'  reapin'  the 
rewards  o'  propriety  an'  goodness,  d'ye  see  ?  " 

"Watson,  do  you  know  what  you  are  talking  about  ?  " 
asked  Mrs.  Thurston,  turning  upon  him  with  a  sudden 
wrath,  which  made  Watson  start. 

"Jist  sort  o'  techin'  up  the  millennial  period,  ma'am," 
replied  that  worthy  humbly. 


WATSON'S  "TRICKS  AND  MANNERS"         129 

"  Well,  I  want  to  tell  you  once  and  for  all,  Watson," 
said  Mrs.  Thurston  with  decision,  "that  I  have  some 
principle,  and  I  shouldn't  believe  in  socialism  if  I  be- 
came a  beggar,  and  I  never  would  under  any  circum- 
stances tolerate  the  idea  of  having  people  blown  up, 
so  please  don't  use  such  shocking  expressions  again ; " 
and  Mrs.  Thurston  turned  her  back  with  a  hysterical 
suspicion  that  Watson  was  taking  advantage  of  her 
altered  social  position  to  advance  his  dreadful  doctrines 
in  her  presence. 

"  I  were  jist  a-thinkin',  Mis'  Thurston,"  ventured 
Watson  again,  hoping  to  rectify  his  blunder,  "that  on 
the  socialistic  plane  "  — 

"Watson  !"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Thurston  severely. 

"On  the  socialistic  plane,"  repeated  Watson  with  meek- 
ness, "them  there  highfalutin'  ways  o'  yourn'll  be  just 
in  play,  Mis'  Thurston,  an'  it  does  me  good  ter  see  how 
Mag's  caught  on  ter  'em.  She  got  ter  feelin'  so  high, 
the  next  thing  was  typewritin'  jist  as  nateral  as  life, 
an'  if  ye'd  give  Rose  a  chance  in  the  same  way,  she 
might  be  took  fur  a  duchess,  spite  of  her  ole  dad." 

"Watson,  what  in  the  world  do  you  mean  by  the 
socialistic  plane  ?  "  asked  Mrs.  Thurston,  mollified  in 
spite  of  herself. 

"  Why,  when  we're  all  ekil,  ye  know,  on  an  equality, 
ye  might  say,  then  I  reckon  everybody'll  be  highfalutin', 
won't  they  ?  Learnin'  typewritin'  won't  be  no  great 
shakes  in  them  days,  I'm  thinkin',  an'  I'd  like  ter  have 
Rose  sort  o'  preparin',  ye  know."  And  Watson  made 
haste  to  vacate  the  apartment,  chuckling  to  himself  as 
he  went  to  the  barn,  preparatory  to  driving  Maggie  and 
Marie  Leifert  to  Fulton. 

"  But  the  old  lady  ain't  wot  she  wor  a  year  ago,"  he 
said  sorrowfully;  "she's  a-breakin'  fast.  I  jist  thought 
I'd  pave  the  way  fur  Rose  ter  help  her  out  with  that 


130  WHICH  WINS 

there  little  racket,  fur  some  days  it  do  seem  like  she 
can't  no  more'n  git  around.  I  wonder  if  Thurston  sees 
it,"  he  reflected  ;  "  I  see  him  lookin'  at  her  mighty  close 
now  an'  then,  but  he  don't  say  nothin'.  It's  curous, 
though,  she  don't  come  round  on  that  there  tramp  ques- 
tion a  whit.  She's  jist  as  solid  on  her  fam'ly  an'  sich 
as  ever.  When  folks  is  born  conceited,"  concluded 
Watson,  as  he  climbed  into  the  buggy,  "I  reckon  it's 
pretty  hard  fur  the  Lord  to  git  it  out'n  'em." 

Meanwhile  what  were  the  two  girls  thinking  of,  as 
they  drove  across  the  rolling  prairie  ?  The  sun  was 
setting  yonder  in  the  west,  going  down  like  a  red  ball 
into  the  shadow  of  the  evening  mists.  To  Maggie  it 
seemed  like  the  hot  despair  and  disappointment  of  her 
own  previous  life.  Would  the  morrow  dawn  gentler, 
brighter,  more  hope-inspiring  ? 

She  drew  a  long  breath  as  they  entered  the  town,  and 
left  behind  them  the  solitude  and  darkness  of  the  unten- 
anted  prairie.  "  I  kin  work  here  anyhow,"  she  thought, 
as  she  sprang  from  the  buggy,  "an'  git  sumthin  fur  it ! " 


WOOING  AND  WAITING  131 


CHAPTER   XV 

WOOING   AND    WAITING. 

THE  days  before  Katherine's  wedding  were  very  busy 
ones,  for  she  insisted  upon  keeping  up  her  classes  and 
recitals  till  the  last  moment,  declaring  that  she  would 
die  of  ennui  if  she  had  nothing  to  do  but  think  of  her 
wedding  clothes. 

She  took  great  delight  in  those  same  wedding  clothes, 
nevertheless,  and  indulged  in  various  little  extravagances 
which  had  been  tabooed  hitherto,  because  she  felt  that 
her  income  would  not  permit  them,  without  cutting 
short  her  allowance  for  charity  and  books.  Now  that 
she  was  about  to  marry  a  wealthy  man,  it  seemed  per- 
fectly proper  to  supply  herself  with  various  small  lux- 
uries, which  rich  women  think  nothing  of,  but  which 
make  a  hole  very  quickly  in  a  small  income.  So  Kath- 
erine  revelled  modestly  in  delicate  handkerchiefs  and 
silk  underwear,  allowed  herself  six-button  gloves  to  an 
extravagant  degree,  and  delighted  her  mother  by  the 
amount  of  truly  feminine  inconsistency  which  she 
developed  in  different  directions. 

Meanwhile  she  seemed  to  take  a  perverse  pleasure  in 
showing  Ward  her  indifference  to  his  wealth.  She 
would  not  allow  him  to  make  her  any  presents,  because 
she  felt  instinctively  that  as  he  loved  money  so  well  he 
could  not  give  her  anything  without  counting  the  cost, 
and  it  seemed  to  her  humiliating  to  feel  under  obliga- 
tions to  one  who  stood  in  the  light  of  a  lover  or  a  future 
husband. 


132  WHICH  WINS 

Indeed,  Katherine's  ideas  upon  the  relations  of  hus- 
bands and  wives,  and  especially  the  duties  of  wives, 
were  becoming  so  radical  as-  the  moment  of  their  as- 
sumption arrived,  that  she  was  almost  shocked  some- 
times to  find  what  opinions  she  was  cherishing,  and 
stopped  in  surprise  to  question  why  her  attitude  upon 
various  points  had  become  what  it  appeared  to  be. 

There  was  a  shade  of  authority  and  of  conscious  pos- 
session sometimes  in  Ward's  manner,  which  was  ex- 
tremely irritating  to  her,  and  if  that  gentleman  had 
been  more  sensitive,  or  less  sure  of  himself,  they  might 
have  quarrelled  many  times.  But  it  never  occurred  to 
the  lover  that  Katherine's  independence  was  anything 
more  than  the  playful  spirit  of  a  kitten,  which  is 
corrected  immediately  by  the  growing  sedateness  of 
maturity,  and  if  any  one  had  hinted  to  him  that  his 
fiancee  was  in  danger  of  growing  strong-minded,  or  of 
insisting  upon  carrying  out  her  own  views  of  life  after 
the  marital  knot  was  fairly  tied,  he  would  have  smiled 
with  calm  and  decisive  superiority. 

"  Let  a  woman  see  that  you  mean  business,"  he  fre- 
quently remarked,  "and  she  may  cry  a  little  and  pout 
a  while,  but  she'll  give  in  and  go  your  way,  and  not  only 
that,  but  she'll  like  you  a  great  deal  better  for  making 
her  do  it." 

Of  course  Ward  did  not  expect  this  beautiful  docility 
to  be  brought  about  before  marriage ;  in  fact,  he  pre- 
ferred that  Katherine  should  remain  spirited  and  a  trifle 
wilful  until  the  bonds  were  firmly  tied.  It  made  their 
intercourse  more  spicy,  and  life  more  interesting,  while 
it  did  not  alter  the  real  relationship  of  oak  and  clinging 
vine,  the  symbol  which  was  indelibly  engraved  among 
the  allegorical  figures  of  Ward's  mental  gallery.  Not 
in  the  least. 

Among  the  events  which  occupied  Katherine's  atten- 


WARD   SPEAKS  LIKE  A  HUSBAND  133 

tion  immediately  before  her  marriage  was  a  concert  for 
the  benefit  of  one  of  her  pupils.  Ward  had  heard  a 
great  deal  about  Dinah  Kuntzer,  for  Katherine  con- 
sidered her  to  have  remarkable  talent,  and  never  wearied 
of  enlarging  upon  the  promise  she  gave  of  future  great- 
ness. One  morning  it  happened  that  Ward  encountered 
her  in  Katherine's  rooms,  and  the  latter  insisted  that 
he  should  sit  down  and  hear  her  play,  and  forced  Dinah 
to  the  piano,  in  spite  of  great  reluctance  on  her  part. 
Ward,  however,  was  really  a  very  poor  connoisseur  in 
musical  matters,  and  he  received  Dinah's  performance 
so  coldly  that  the  poor  girl  left  the  room  quite  dis- 
tressed, and  Katherine  scolded  him  roundly  for  his 
unkindness  and  lack  of  appreciation. 

"If  you  think  I  am  going  into  ecstasies  over  that 
little  Jew,  you're  mistaken,  Katherine,"  said  Ward 
finally.  "  Her  father's  a  salesman  in  a  poor  shabby 
store  near  Fulton  Ferry,  and  can't  talk  two  words  of 
decent  English.  The  idea  of  your  getting  up  a  concert 
for  that  creature !  why,  it's  a  disgrace  to  think  of  it. 
Your  musical  reputation  won't  bear  it." 

"  Why  don't  you  say  something  about  her  playing  ?  " 
asked  Katherine,  her  eyes  fairly  blazing.  "  Social  posi- 
tion has  nothing  to  do  with  musical  talent,  and  some  of 
our  greatest  musicians  have  been  little  Jews." 

"  Well  now,  you  needn't  fall  into  a  rage,  Kate,  although 
it's  very  becoming,"  said  Ward,  looking  a  trifle  disgusted 
and  somewhat  amused.  "  I  know  a  good  deal  more  about 
practical  life  than  you  do,  and  I  can  tell  you  that  con- 
cert will  fall  flat,  unless  you  play  the  most  of  the  num- 
bers yourself.  I  wish  I  had  known  who  this  Miss 
Kuntzer  was,  and  I  never  would  have  allowed  you  to 
get  in  so  deep  with  her,"  he  added  thoughtfully. 

"  Allowed ! "  cried  Katherine,  the  red  in  her  cheeks 
deepening  visibly  ;  "  since  when  did  you  become  my 


134  WHICH  WINS 

lord  and  master,  Mr.  Ward  ?  Maybe  you  think  one 
gives  up  one's  character  and  freedom  when  one  promises 
to  marry,  but,  if  so,  here  is  the  contract ! "  and  she  drew 
off  the  large  diamond  which  Ward  had  placed  upon  her 
finger  as  symbol  of  betrothal,  with  a  very  pretty  air  of 
indifference. 

Ward  stood  still  a  moment  biting  his  lip,  for  this  was 
indeed  going  a  little  too  far ;  but  Katherine  was  so 
beautiful  in  her  haughty  disdain,  and  he  so  disliked  to 
be  beaten  in  a  game  which  interested  him,  that  he  pres- 
ently laughed,  and,  taking  the  ring,  put  it  back  upon  her 
white  finger. 

He  held  the  soft,  warm  hand  caressingly  in  his  a 
moment,  and  then  said  tenderly,  "  What  a  spitfire  you 
are,  Katherine;  but  you'll  let  me  say  'allow  '  sometime, 
won't  you  ?  " 

"  Let  you  ?  "  cried  Katherine,  withdrawing  her  hand 
quickly,  "  why,  don't  you  know  that's  a  woman's  word 
after  she's  married  ?  It  sounds  very  unbecoming  from 
your  lips,  I  assure  you,  Stephen." 

The  plans  for  the  concert  went  on  much  to  Ward's 
annoyance,  who  was  more  than  ever  determined  thereby 
to  put  a  stop  to  his  wife's  musical  career  after  their 
marriage.  Katherine  believed  that  Miss  Kuntzer  needed 
the  training  she  could  only  obtain  in  a  German  conser- 
vatory, to  give  the  proper  finish  to  her  musical  culture, 
and  she  was  resolved  that  she  would  raise  as  large  a 
sum  as  possible  for  her  by  this  concert.  The  affair  was  to 
be  held  in  Steinway  Hall,  and  several  prominent  musi- 
cians were  to  appear  on  the  programme,  as  a  result  of 
Katherine's  persuasive  powers.  She  herself,  however, 
was  determined  not  to  play  at  all,  and  this  seemed  the 
height  of  absurdity  to  Ward,  who  was  anxious  that  his 
betrothed  should  distinguish  herself  in  every  possible 
way  before  her  marriage,  with  a  dim  idea  that  in  that 


KATHERINE'S   IMPRACTICALITY  135 

way  she  would  more  fitly  dignify  the  position  she  would 
occupy  as  his  wife,  and  make  her  withdrawal  from 
publicity  more  marked. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  disappoint  you,  Stephen,"  she  said 
one  day,  when  Ward  had  been  expostulating  with  her 
upon  the  subject ;  "  but  you  see  I  want  this  concert  to 
reflect  great  credit  upon  Dinah.  She  is  the  only  lady 
upon  the  programme,  and  the  other  players  are  well- 
known  professionals,  between  whom  and  Dinah  no  in- 
vidious comparisons  will  be  drawn ;  but  if  I  play  "  — 

"Well,  what  if  you  play  ?"  said  Ward  impatiently; 
"  you  are  a  professional,  and  Dinah  is  your  pupil." 

"  Yes,  I  know  that,  Stephen,"  replied  Katherine ;  "but 
don't  you  see?  I  am  a  woman,  and  handsome,  and 
people  are  so  absurd.  They  will  recall  me  just  to  see 
me  come  before  the  audience  again,  and  they  won't 
appreciate  Dinah  according  to  her  worth  at  all." 

"Oh,  if  that  isn't  the  most  ridiculous  notion  I  ever 
heard  of ! "  cried  Ward,  laughing.  "  And  that's  the 
mysterious  reason  for  your  refusal  ?  It  ought  to  be 
published  in  the  morning  papers,"  and  Ward  laughed 
to  himself,  amused  at  the  astuteness  of  Katherine's 
analysis  of  the  situation,  and  still  more  amused  at 
what  he  considered  the  feminine  impracticality  of  her 
decision. 

He  was,  however,  determined  that  she  should  give  way, 
and  finding  her  rather  blue  one  day  over  the  slow  sale 
of  the  tickets,  he  had  an  idea. 

Dropping  in  upon  a  musical  friend  that  evening,  who 
was  wealthy,  and  interested  in  the  approaching  concert, 
he  commiserated  him  upon  the  slow  sale  of  the  seats. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  gentleman ;  "  they  would  go  much 
faster  if  Miss  Woolcott  would  play.  Can't  you  persuade 
her  to  do  so  ?  " 

"  The  only  thing  that  would  influence  her  is  the  pos- 


136  WHICH  WINS 

sible  success  of  the  concert,"  replied  Ward :  "  if  she 
thought  it  would  sell  a  hundred  seats  more,  I  suppose 
she  would  play." 

"Egad!  I'll  go  and  see  her!"  cried  the  gentleman, 
seizing  his  hat.  "I'll  buy  a  hundred  myself  with 
that  condition.  It  would  be  nothing  to  get  rid  of 
them." 

"  Don't  mention  my  name ! "  cried  Ward  as  his  friend 
disappeared,  and  he  laughed  to  himself  as  he  walked 
leisurely  home. 

"  If  you  can't  manage  it  one  way,  try  another,"  he  said, 
smiling.  "  Who  would  have  thought  that  lunatic  would" 
take  fire  so  easily  ?  But  Katherine  will  play  ;  she  can't 
resist  the  incarnate  enthusiasm  of  greenbacks." 

Sure  enough  Katherine  did  play,  and  told  him  of  her 
decision  with  such  a  charming  show  of  yielding  to  his 
preference,  as  well  as  the  financial  persuasions  of  her 
musical  friend,  that  Ward  was  in  high  feather.  • 

But  alas  for  the  result !  The  concert  was  a  grand 
success  as  a  matter  of  course,  and  Katherine  was  encored 
three  times :  "  Entirely  on  account  of  my  clothes  and 
my  looks,  dear,"  she  explained  to  Dinah ;  but  poor 
Dinah,  nervous  over  a  first  appearance  in  public,  played 
but  indifferently,  and  received  not  a  single  encore. 
Ward  found  Katherine  in  tears  the  next  evening  as  he 
came  into  the  half-lighted  drawing-room. 

"  Hallo !  what's  the  matter  ?  "  he  exclaimed,  turning 
up  the  gas,  and  discovering  Katherine  upon  a  distant 
sofa. 

"  0  Stephen !  it  ended  just  as  I  expected,"  said 
Katherine,  rising  and  wiping  her  eyes.  "  Dinah  feels 
so  discouraged  she  declares  she  was  never  intended  for 
an  artist,  and  thinks  she  had  better  learn  typewriting 
and  enter  a  business  career.  It  would  have  been  better 
if  I  had  not  played,  even  if  we  did  make  less  money  ! " 


NOT  LOVE,   BUT  INEXPERIENCE  137 

she  added ;  "  I  wouldn't  have  had  her  feel  so  hurt  for 
anything,"  and  Katherine  walked  about  with  an  incon- 
solable air  which  was  highly  affecting. 

Ward,  however,  was  not  at  all  sympathetic.  "  Dinah 
is  simply  putting  on  airs,"  he  said ;  "  you're  altogether 
too  easily  taken  in,  Katherine;  just  tell  her  to  come  off 
of  her  high  horse,  or  you  won't  give  her  the  money,  and 
you  will  see  how  quickly  she'll  revive." 

"  Why,  Stephen,  the  money  is  not  mine  to  give ! " 
replied  Katherine  in  surprise ;  "  it  was  a  benefit  concert, 
and  the  proceeds  were  hers  as  a  matter  of  course.  You 
have  no  conception  of  the  feelings  of  artists,  and  you 
shouldn't  judge  them  by  business  principles,"  and  Kath- 
erine would  not  be  comforted  until  Dinah  was  fairly 
started  for  Berlin,  provided  with  every  comfort  her 
conscience-stricken  friend  could  urge  upon  her  for  the 
voyage. 

There  were  days,  however,  when  the  musical  nature 
was  pre-eminent  in  Katherine,  and  the  imperious  woman 
entirely  disappeared ;  and  these  days  were  perhaps  most 
frequent,  for  her  life  had  been  so  far  a  dream,  inter- 
rupted by  very  few  practical  decisions,  and  her  theories 
in  regard  to  it  were  therefore  somewhat  vague  and  in- 
consequent. A  friend  who  was  more  experienced  and 
worldly,  said  to  her  one  day,  — 

"Is  your  money  settled  on  you,  Katherine,  so  that 
your  husband  can't  get  hold  of  it  ?  " 

Katherine  laughed.  "  WThy,  he  has  it  all  now,"  she 
said ;  "  I've  given  it  to  him  to  invest." 

Her  friend  looked  shocked.  "  You  impractical  crea- 
ture !  "  she  exclaimed ;  "  you  ought  to  have  some  one  to 
take  care  of  you." 

Katherine  was  greatly  amused.  "  The  idea  of  talking 
that  way  ! "  she  cried ;  "  Mr.  Ward  has  twenty  times  as 
much  money  as  I  have.  What  should  he  care  about  my 


138  WHICH  WINS 

little  pile  ?  A  man  and  wife  own  everything  in  com- 
mon, don't  they  ?  " 

"  I  hope  it  will  turn  out  so  in  your  case,"  responded 
her  friend  solemnly,  and  Katherine  laughed  to  herself 
afterwards,  at  the  portentous  seriousness  of  her  manner. 

"  Stephen  thinks  a  great  deal  of  money,  I  know,"  she 
said  to  herself,  "  but  he  is  a  perfectly  honorable  man, 
and  he  certainly  wouldn't  defraud  his  own  wife." 

Katherine  thought  of  many  things  in  those  weeks,  as 
she  ran  her  fingers  over  the  piano  keys,  but  it  is  safe  to 
say,  she  did  not  stop  to  realize  what  marriage  meant. 
She  could  not  fancy  herself  as  married  to  Stephen.  Her 
future  with  him  was  always  a  hazy  distance,  in  which 
he  seemed  a  dim  and  somewhat  menacing  outline ;  but 
music,  music,  filled  the  future  as  it  did  the  present,  and 
everything  else  was  shadowy.  To  her  the  world  had  no 
concrete  form.  She  lived  among  figures  of  her  own 
creation,  as  vivid  as  they  were  charming. 


THE  SHADOW  FALLS  139 


CHAPTER   XVI 

THE    SHADOW    FALLS 

VARIOUS  liabilities  which  he  was  unprepared  to  meet 
had  obliged  John  to  put  a  mortgage  on  his  crop,  and 
though  the  yield  promised  to  be  all  that  any  one  could 
ask,  John  took  little  delight  in  its  ripening  wealth. 

As  he  harvested  the  rich  finely  matured  ears,  and  stored 
them  away  in  the  cribs  which  were  hardly  large  enough 
to  hold  them,  he  wondered  what  the  outcome  would  be, 
and  whether  any  one  would  want  his  corn  who  would 
be  willing  to  pay  a  living  price  for  it.  The  mortgage  on 
his  crop  would  shortly  be  due,  and  the  money  for  that 
must  be  forthcoming,  whether  the  corn  brought  anything 
or  not ;  and  as  John  looked  forward  to  the  approaching 
weeks,  and  thought  of  the  possibilities  in  store  for  him, 
he  felt  that  life  offered  very  little  to  hope  for. 

As  the  days  went  on  he  found  that  it  was  an  impossi- 
bility to  sell  his  crop;  corn  brought  but  ten  cents  a 
bushel,  and  wheat  forty,  and  there  was  no  sale  for  it 
at  that  price.  He  made  up  his  mind  that  he  must  get 
Mr.  Leverson  to  renew  the  loan,  and  must  borrow  money 
on  his  household  goods,  if  possible,  to  pay  the  interest 
on  it.  He  rode  over  to  Fulton  one  day  with  this  in 
view,  and  was  coldly  received  by  Mr.  Leverson,  who 
began  to  think  that  he  must  have  been  mistaken  in 
considering  Mr.  Thurston  a  wealthy  man,  since  he 
seemed  subject  to  the  vicissitudes  of  any  penniless 
farmer.  To  John's  surprise  he  learned  that  Mr.  Lever- 
son  no  longer  held  the  mortgage  on  his  crop. 


140  WHICH  WINS 

"  I  sold  to  Mr.  Bingham  some  time  ago,"  said  that 
worthy  ;  "  he's  bought  up  the  mortgages  ou  a  good  many 
of  the  crops  in  the  neighborhood  as  a  sort  of  speculation, 
and  he  won't  be  apt  to  renew  your  loan." 

"  But  what  does  he  intend  to  do  ? "  asked  John, 
seized  by  a  sort  of  consternation,  as  an  idea  of  Mr. 
Bingham's  intention  dawned  upon  him. 

"  Well,  of  course  he  wants  the  crop,"  replied  Mr. 
Leverson  coldly ;  "  you  know  he  has  large  deals  on 
hand  in  the  Chicago  grain  market,  and  he  gets  trans- 
portation so  cheap  that  he  can  make  where  others  are 
ruined.  I'm  sorry  for  you,  Mr.  Thurston,  but  it  can't 
be  helped." 

John  went  home  feeling  stunned.  If  his  household 
goods  were  free,  he  might  get  a  loan  on  them  to  liberate 
his  crops,  but  he  realized  suddenly  that  in  that  case,  his 
crop  would  be  on  his  hands  and  his  furniture  gone,  for 
he  saw  no  prospect  of  being  able  to  pay  off  any  mort- 
gage. He  received  notice  one  day  that  unless  his  note 
was  paid  upon  a  certain  date,  his  grain  would  be  carried 
off  by  Mr.  Bingham's  men.  "  It's  the  beginning  of  the 
end,"  said  John,  setting  his  lips  firmly  together,  as  he 
thought  of  all  the  desperate  expedients  possible  to  avert 
the  threatened  evil.  He  sought  eagerly  in  town  for 
work,  and  managed  to  get  various  short  engagements 
at  different  times,  but  it  was  impossible  in  the  small 
town  of  Fulton  to  find  a  regular  situation,  at  that 
season,  which  would  enable  himself  and  his  mother  to 
live ;  and  even  if  he  could  do  so,  he  felt  that  in  the 
feeble  state  of  his  mother's  health  at  present,  the  shock 
of  leaving  the  farm  in  such  a  way  would  kill  her,  and 
he  seemed  traversing  a  labyrinth  from  which  there  was 
no  escape.  Besides  the  mortgages  on  everything  else, 
he  had  been  obliged  to  let  the  men  from  whom  he  had 
bought  his  implements  take  security  on  his  household 


THE  FIRST  PRIVATION  141 

goods,  and  he  could  neither  move  these  nor  dispose  of 
them  at  present. 

Watson  had  learned  the  fate  of  the  crop,  and  one 
evening  John  saw  him  filling  some  bags  of  corn  from 
one  of  the  cribs. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do,  Watson  ?  "  he  asked  in 
surprise,  as  Watson  stowed  the  bags  safely  away  in  the 
barn. 

"  Wot's  ye  goin'  ter  do  when  the  corn's  gone,  I'd  like 
ter  know  ?  "  asked  Watson  in  his  argumentative  tone. 

"I  don't  see,  Watson;  that's  what  I'm  trying  to  think 
out,"  returned  John,  passing  his  hand  over  his  forehead 
wearily. 

"  Wai,  while  yer  thinkin',  jist  stow  away  some  more 
o'  them  bags,"  said  Watson ;  "  I've  lived  on  corn  coffee 
an'  bread  made  o'  pounded  corn  afore  now,  an'  it's 
better'n  starvation,  I  kin  tell  ye." 

John  looked  at  Watson's  thin  face  and  pale,  eager 
eyes,  with  a  wonder  dawning  in  his  own  whether  it  was 
really  better.  Whether  it  was  preferable  to  die  and  try 
the  experiment  of  another  existence,  without  a  body  to 
be  housed  and  fed,  or  to  struggle  on,  pushed  farther  and 
farther  to  the  wall  by  men  who  represented  forces  which 
seemed  to  be  working  relentlessly  for  the  extinction  of 
all  nobility  and  freedom  in  mankind. 

"  And  yet  there  is  a  meaning  in  it  sometimes,"  John 
mused  as  he  fed  his  cows.  "  The  rich  co-operate  suc- 
cessfully, why  can't  the  poor  ?  In  that  question,  I  am 
sure,  lies  the  whole  solution  of  the  mystery  of  distribu- 
tion." And  as  John  paused  at  the  door  of  the  barnyard 
with  his  milk-pail  in  his  hand,  the  picture  of  a  re- 
organized society  seemed  to  float  before  his  mental 
vision.  There  were  the  workers,  but  how  different !  no 
longer  haggard,  desperate,  brutalized  ;  their  faces  were 
pure,  their  eyes  bright,  and  thoughtful  earnestness  was 


142  WHICH  WINS 

written  on  their  brows,  while  no  suggestion  of  oppres- 
sion or  want  was  visible  in  their  erect  forms  and  happy 
features. 

"And  money  could  do  all  that,"  said  John,  as  the 
vision  faded,  and  he  came  back  to  a  realization  of  his 
full  milk-pail,  which  was  in  danger  of  losing  its  precious 
burden  from  his  careless  handling.  "  That  is,  the  proper 
distribution  and  circulation  of  money  and  industry  could 
do  it,  and  nothing  else.  Strange,"  he  added,  "  what 
spiritual  possibilities  lie  in  material  things.  A  race  of 
men  nourished  in  co-operative  industry  could  become  in 
a  short  time  mental  and  spiritual  beings,  simply  from  the 
opportunity  for  development  which  must  open  before 
them.  Why  must  human  beings  always  be  strangled  ! " 
he  went  on  fiercely.  "  It  would  seem  as  if  God  created 
man  with  the  cruel  delight  of  a  Nero  in  watching  human 
pain,  when  one  looks  over  the  world  and  sees  it  filled 
with  an  utterly  unnecessary  suffering.  Ah,  it  could  all 
be  so  different,  if  the  divine  in  us  would  only  become 
predominant ! " 

John's  thoughts  were  fiercer  next  day,  when  Mr. 
Bingham's  wagons  rumbled  into  the  yard  to  carry  away 
his  grain,  and  his  mother  came  to  him  in  great  excite- 
ment to  ask  him  if  he  had  sold  it.  John  was  forced  to 
tell  her  the  truth,  and  he  never  forgot  the  expression 
with  which  she  turned  away.  It  was  the  beginning  of 
death,  he  thought. 

After  that  Mrs.  Thurston  seemed  to  feel  a  morbid 
terror  of  every  one  who  came  about  the  place.  One 
morning  Watson,  who  had  searched  the  house  over  for 
her,  found  her  in  one  of  the  deserted  chicken  coops. 

"Why,  Mis.  Thurston!"  he  exclaimed  in  astonish- 
ment, "  wot  be  ye  doin'  here  ?  " 

"  0  Watson !  "  cried  the  poor  lady,  clinging  to  his 
arm,  "  I  saw  a  man  driving  up  in  a  buggy,  and  I'm  sure 


MRS.   THURSTON  SUFFERS  143 

it's  a  constable  with  a  notice  about  the  stock.  I  can't 
see  him,  Watson ;  you  go  and  talk  to  him,  won't  you  ?  " 
And  Mrs.  Thurston  entirely  forgot  for  the  moment  that 
Watson  was  a  hireling.  How  strange  it  is  that  in 
periods  of  the  deepest  anxiety  artificial  barriers  fade 
away,  and  leave  us  face  to  face  with  the  realities  of 
human  nature  ! 

John  saw  his  mother  fading  daily,  growing  nervous 
and  hysterical  from  care  and  lack  of  proper  nourishment, 
for  it  was  now  some  weeks  since  they  had  been  able  to 
have  any  food  except  potatoes  and  corn  meal.  Even  the 
forty-cent  tea,  which  Mrs.  Thurston  had  scoffed  at  in 
the  beginning  of  their  economies,  was  now  an  unheard- 
of  luxury.  And  the  agony  of  helplessness  seemed 
harder  to  bear  than  anything,  John  thought.  He  talked 
to  Watson  bitterly,  forgetting  the  moderation  he  had 
always  sought  to  preserve  in  social  topics,  and  speak- 
ing often,  as  his  mother  would  have  said,  like  a 
"  dynamiter." 

But  when  one  is  driven  to  the  wall  by  the  impious 
action  of  unjust  laws,  one  does  not  pause  for  nice  dis- 
tinctions or  a  gentler  phrase,  and  so  John  found  it.  He 
met  Mr.  Bingham  one  day  as  he  was  returning  from  a 
neighbor's  where  he  had  been  called  to  minister  to  a 
sick  horse. 

"  Ah,  Mr.  Thurston,  how  do  you  do  ?  "  remarked  that 
gentleman  affably.  "  How  is  business  at  your  place  this 
winter  ?  " 

"  Well,  you  ought  to  know,  Mr.  Bingham,"  cried 
John :  "  you  took  my  crops  !  " 

j'  Yes,  that's  true  ! "  replied  the  other,  rather  startled 
at  such  abruptness  from  one  he  was  in  the  habit  of  con- 
sidering a  gentleman.  "  I  was  really  very  sorry  about 
that,  Mr.  Thurston,"  he  added  confidentially ;  "  you  re- 
member I  made  you  an  offer  which  you  refused,  and  of 


144  WHICH  WINS 

course  you  can  scarcely  hold  me  responsible  for  the 
result !  " 

"No,  Mr.  Bingham,  I  don't  hold  you  responsible  ex- 
actly, but  I  think  the  system  which  made  you,  and 
makes  other  men  like  you,  a  very  dangerous  one,"  he 
added  bitterly.  "  If  I  could  blame  myself  or  you,  I 
should  feel  better  about  it,  and  more  hopeful,"  he  con- 
fessed ;  "  but  to  feel  that  one  is  cheated  and  trampled 
upon,  and  blame  nothing  but  the  '  times,'  is  hard." 

"  The  times  are  hard,  that's  true,  Mr.  Thurston,"  re- 
marked Mr.  Bingham,  warming  toward  John,  as  he  fan- 
cied him  beginning  to  feel  the  abjectness  of  his  condition, 
"and  there  is  a  great  deal  of  suffering  for  which  we 
must  put  our  hands  in  our  pockets,"  he  added  benig- 
nantly. 

"Yes,  the  times  in  the  guise  of  the  Santa  Fe  road 
turned  eleven  hundred  people  out  of  their  homes  this 
last  year,"  exclaimed  John,  unable  to  repress  all  his 
feeling,  "  and  I  learn  that  in  the  same  year  ten  thousand 
babies  died  of  starvation  in  New-York  city,  so  I  begin 
to  feel  that  whatever  happens  to  me  I  shall  have  plenty 
of  company,"  and  John  lifted  his  hat  and  walked  on, 
feeling  that  social  contact  with  this  man,  who  seemed  to 
his  excited  nerves  fairly  reeking  with  prosperity,  was 
more  than  he  could  bear. 

When  he  reached  home,  he  found  that  the  constable 
had  just  driven  off  his  cattle  for  the  mortgage  he  had 
placed  upon  them  in  the  fall,  and  Watson  was  walking 
back  and  forth  in  the  kitchen,  using  very  abusive  lan- 
guage because  he  had  not  been  warned  of  the  event  in 
time  to  save  one  milch  cow  from  the  herd. 

"  Why,  Watson  ! "  exclaimed  John,  "  they  had  no  busi- 
ness to  take  all;  the  mortgage  didn't  cover  half  their 
value." 

"Waal,  wot  difference  d'ye  'spose  that  there  makes 


JOHN  LEARNS  TO  GO  HUNGRY  145 

ter  them  fellers  ?  "  asked  Watson ;  "  don't  they  know 
mighty  well  that  ye  ain't  got  nothin'  to  pay  a  lawyer 
fur  gittin'  on  em  back  ?  They'll  take  'em  all  every 
time,  ef  ye  ain't  sharp  enuff  to  git  'em  outn  the  way 
afore  they  come.  I'd  a'  led  two  o'  them  cows  over  to  my 
shanty,  fur  yer  ma  she  needs  the  milk  right  bad,  but 
they  was  on  me  afore  I  knowed  it,  an'  they  wouldn't 
hear  no  reason  'bout  the  vally  o'  the  mortgage.  The 
only  thing  fur  ye  to  try,  Mr.  Thurston,  is  to  git  suthin' 
ter  do  in  town,  an'  jump  this  here  ranch.  Yer  ma 
won't  do  no  good  here  after  them  constables  hez  riled 
her  up  so  many  times,  an'  ye'll  hev  to  git  out." 

John  realized  the  value  of  Watson's  advice.  Their 
coal  was  all  gone,  and  they  were  absolutely  penniless. 
It  would  be  useless  to  follow  their  struggle  through  the 
winter,  to  tell  how  John  got  his  cattle  back  only  to  have 
them  driven  off  again  by  the  constable ;  how  he  tried 
this  thing  and  that  in  the  struggle  to  keep  the  wolf 
from  the  door,  until  at  last  his  mother  grew  so  feeble 
that  he  dared  not  leave  her  alone  long  at  a  time. 

For  Mrs.  Thurston  had  plainly  entered  upon  the  last 
scenes  of  her  earthly  career.  She  faded  gradually  from 
day  to  day,  growing  gentle  and  uncomplaining  mean- 
while, to  a  degree  which  touched  Watson  to  the  heart. 
She  no  longer  fired  up  at  his  remarks  upon  social  equal- 
ity, and  seemed  to  have  grown  indifferent  even  to  the 
expression  of  sentiments  which  could  only  be  termed 
anarchical. 

"She  don't  seem  to  keer  nothin'  'bout  fam'ly,"  said 
Watson  to  himself  sorrowfully,  "an'  I  ain't  heerd  her 
mention  the  advantages  o'  eddication  fur  a  month  back." 

At  that  moment  Watson's  attention  was  attracted  by 
a  lively  squawking  in  the  stubble  of  the  field  near  by. 

"Ef  that  ain't  one  o'  them  darned  chickens  o'  Nichols's 
way  over  here  agin  !  • '  he  exclaimed,  in  great  wrath  ;  "  the 


146  WHICH  WINS 

blamed  ijits,  they  can't  git  enough  ter  eat  to  hum,  an' 
ain't  sense  to  know  ther's  nothin'  here ! "  and  he  took 
up  a  stick  to  throw  after  the  offending  fowl,  when, 
suddenly  struck  by  a  new  idea,  he  vaulted  over  the  fence 
in  great  haste. 

"  I'll  ketch  one  o'  them  thar  pesky  things,  an'  make 
Mis'  Thurston  some  broth,"  he  thought ;  "  may  chirk 
her  up  a  bit,  an'  keep  the  breath  in  her  body  a  day 
longer,  anyhow."  And  over  the  stubble  went  Watson, 
while  the  chicken  squawked  and  fluttered,  now  appar- 
ently under  his  feet  and  then  a  yard  away,  but  always 
just  out  of  his  reach,  as  if  all  the  perverseness  of  the 
fowl  kingdom  were  concentrated  in  its  small  body. 

"By  jingo!"  shrieked  Watson,  "I'll  roast  ye  alive!" 
and  he  made  a  dive  at  the  hapless  chicken,  which  strug- 
gled just  away  from  his  hand,  and  always  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Nichols's  homestead.  Watson  made  a  detour 
and  headed  off  the  invincible  fowl,  which  immediately 
turned  sideways,  and  before  he  knew  it  was  once  more 
making  a  bee  line  for  its  nightly  roosting-place. 

"  Darn  ye  !  "  cried  Watson.  "  Ye  think  ye  kin  git 
ahead  o'  me,  do  ye  ?  ye  think  ye  got  more  sense  'n  long 
Watson,  do  ye  ?  drat  your  old  hide,  I'll  bust  yer  pesky 
crop  before  I'm  done  with  ye  ! " 

Watson  making  a  sudden  lunge  sprawled  full  length 
on  the  stubble,  but  the  chicken  was  under  him,  squawk- 
ing lustily  as  it  sought  to  escape  the  fate  which  over- 
whelmed it. 

Watson  picked  himself  up  with  a  sudden  return  of 
his  usual  calm  demeanor,  and  scientifically  wringing  the 
chicken's  neck,  turned  homewards.  His  thoughts  went 
mournfully  back  to  Mrs.  Thurston  as  he  walked  on,  and 
he  could  not  help  moralizing  a  little. 

"  I  wouldn't  never  a  b'lieved,"  he  reflected,  "  that  fam- 
'ly  pride  could  a  took  the  place  o'  back  bone,  but  there 


WATSON  AS  A  PHYSICIAN  147 

'tis.  Mis'  Thurston,  now;  she  jist  lived  on,  thinkin' 
how  fine  she  were,  an'  how  much  the  Lord  thought  on 
her,  an'  jist  the  minit  it  looks  as  though  the  Lord  don't 
keer  no  more  fur  her  nor  other  folks,  she  gives  right 
down  an'  ain't  no  'count.  'Taint  the  corn-bread  diet 
that's  a-killin'  her,  no  sir !  them  idees  'bout  ekil  rights 
hez  jist  sort  o'  struck  in,  an'  done  her  up.  Ef  she  was 
to  hear  to-day  that  that  there  bank  account  was  riz  agin, 
she'd  be  chipper  ez  a  squirrel."  And  Watson  shook  his 
head  as  he  entered  the  kitchen,  and  saw  Mrs.  Thurston 
crouched  over  the  little  fire  of  chips  which  John  had 
made  for  her,  hardly  looking  up  as  he  entered. 

"  Mis'  Thurston  ! "  he  cried,  as  he  held  up  the  chicken, 
"I'm  a-goin'  ter  hev  a  banquet;  seems  like  I  want  ter 
feel  like  one  o'  them  bigbugs  at  Delmonico's,  an'  bein' 
as  I  ain't  never  been  thar,  an'  ain't  likely  ter  be,  I'm 
a-goin'  ter  set  'em  up  with  chicken  broth  an'  sassyfras 
tea ! " 

"  Watson  ! "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Thurston,  with  some 
access  of  her  old  dignity,  "  where  did  you  get  that 
chicken  ?  " 

"  Don't  ye  go  to  worryin'  'bout  that  chicken  now,  Mis' 
Thurston,"  replied  Watson,  commencing  his  prepara- 
tions for  the  banquet  with  a  great  deal  of  unnecessary 
noise  and  confusion ;  "  that  there  chicken  come  straight 
from  heaven,  like  the  manner  did  to  them  ongrateful 
Jews  in  the  desert,  an'  I  ain't  a-goin'  ter  be  onchristian 
'bout  it  ez  they  was.  Thar's  nothin'  like  a  wegetable 
diet  fur  brains  an'  thinkin',  an'  all  that,  but  a  taste  o' 
spring  chicken  do  tech  up  the  insides  right  lively  now 
an'  then,  I  tell  ye,  specially  when  it's  a  giddy  thing  like 
this  here.  Now  thar's  a  chicken,  Mis'  Thurston,"  con- 
tinued Watson,  holding  the  dismembered  body  out  for 
the  lady's  inspection,  "  wot  ain't  ben  in  this  world  long 
enough  ter  git  no  sense  at  all.  It's  like  Mag  was  when 


148  WHICH  WINS 

she  fust  come  to  live  with  you — no  kind  o'  discretion,  ye 
know." 

Watson  hoped  that  Mrs.  Thurston's  attention  would 
be  roused  to  ask  after  Maggie,  but  it  was  not.  "  I  reckon 
she's  forgot  all  'bout  the  typewriting"  he  murmured  to 
himself,  as  he  put  the  chicken  on  the  fire,  and  busied 
himself  with  a  make-believe  task. 

"Mag's  a-comin'  in  to  spend  Sunday  with  us  afore 
long,"  he  ventured  after  a  while ;  "  she  do  find  Fulton 
mighty  lonesome  sometimes,  I  reckon,  though  she's 
a-gittin'  on  fine  with  the  typewritin'." 

"  Has  she  a  good  place  ?  "  asked  Mrs.  Thurston  with 
some  interest. 

"Oh,  jist  fair,"  replied  Watson.  "Most  o'  them  fine 
"ladies  seems  to  b'lieve  a  hired  gal  ain't  no  right  to  think 
o'  tryin'  to  be  nothin'  else,  an'  Mag's  had  some  pretty 
hard  rubs  a-gittin'  on,  but  she's  a-goin'  ter  night  school, 
an'  she'll  git  thar  after  while.  I'll  bet  on  Mag ! " 

As  Mrs.  Thurston  still  made  no  reply,  Watson  exe- 
cuted a  spirited  pantomime  behind  her  back,  expressive 
of  his  despair  over  this  futile  attempt  to  rouse  family 
pride  and  social  prejudice  to  the  rescue  of  a  failing 
body. 

"  Watson,"  said  Mrs.  Thurston  suddenly,  "  how  do 
you  happen  to  be  over  here  so  long  ?  Don't  they  need 
you  at  home  ?  Haven't  you  anything  to  do  ?  " 

"  Lord  sakes,  Mis  Thurston !  I  don't  see  much  on  ye 
nohow  lately,  an'  there  ain't  nothin'  doin',  an'  Mr.  Thur- 
ston jist  axed  me  ter  look  in  on  ye  while  he  stepped  over 
to  town,  an'  I  thought  ketchin'  the  chicken  'twere  a  fine 
chance  for  a  banquet,  ye  see  !  " 

"Yes,  yes,  I  know,  Watson,  but  you  can't  afford  to 
give  your  services  for  nothing,"  said  Mrs.  Thurston 
anxiously,  "and  you  mustn't  feel  obliged  to  stay  with 
me.  I'm  surprised  that  John  should  have  asked  you," 


THE   PATIENT  CANNOT  KEVIVE  149 

she  added.  "  I'm  not  sick,  only  I  seem  to  feel  a  little 
tired  lately ;  I  suppose  I'm  growing  old." 

Watson  wiped  his  eyes  violently  behind  her  back,  and 
bustled  about,  drawing  out  a  little  table,  and  putting  on 
it  a  clean  napkin,  a  pretty  bowl  and  cup  and  saucer, 
which  he  had  observed  Mrs.  Thurston  to  be  fond  of. 

"  The  banquet  is  a-goin'  ter  begin,  Mis'  Thurstou,"  he 
remarked  facetiously,  pouring  out  the  sassafras  tea.  "  I 
hope  yer  're  ready  fur  champagne  !  " 

Mrs.  Thurston  smiled  in  recognition  of  Watson's  kind- 
ness, but  it  was  a  very  watery  sort  of  a  smile,  he  thought, 
and  she  seemed  scarcely  able  to  swallow  the  chicken 
broth. 

"  Now,  Mis'  Thurston,  ye  ain't  no  good  fur  a  banquet 
at  all ! "  cried  Watson  in  dismay ;  "  ain't  ye  goin'  ter 
make  no  hole  in  that  there  desert  chicken  ?  " 

"It's  too  bad  after  all  your  trouble,  Watson,  but  I 
don't  seem  to  be  able  to  eat  much  lately :  corn  bread 
doesn't  agree  with  me  very  well,  and  we  haven't  any 
other.  I  had  no  idea  you  were  such  a  good  cook,"  she 
added,  looking  wistfully  at  the  little  table  he  had  pre- 
pared with  such  pains. 

"Oh,  thar  ain't  nothin'  I  can't  do,  from  settin'  type 
to  diggin'  taters,"  explained  Watson.  "  I  reckon  that's 
why  I  never  made  nothin'  go;  ef  I  couldn't  a  jacked  so 
many  trades,  I  'low  I'd  ben. a  rascally  nabob  like  Bing- 
ham;  but  Mis'  Thurston,  ye  ain't  feelin'  wuss,  be  ye  ?  " 
he  cried  in  alarm,  seeing  her  lean  back  in  her  chair  pale 
and  faint.  "  I  guess  ye  better  lay  down,  an'  I'll  go  an' 
git  Rose  to  come  over  a  while  ;  "  and  lifting  her  tenderly 
in  his  arms,  Watson  carried  the  little  woman,  who  had 
grown  very  light  and  shadowy  of  late,  into  the  bedroom. 

Covering  her  softly  with  a  blanket  he  found  near  by, 
Watson  started  home,  shaking  his  head,  as  he  thought 
of  the  tasteful  appointments  of  the  room  in  which  Mrs. 


150  WHICH  WINS 

Thurston  was  dying  of  starvation.  "Fur  that's  the  size 
on't,"  said  Watson :  "  starvation  o'  hopes,  starvation  o' 
sperrit,  an'  starvation  o'  stomach's  enuff  to  kill  a  horse. 
I'd  'a  ben  dead  long  ago,  ef  I'd  'a  ben  born  half  ez  high 
strung  ez  her ;  but  me  an'  my  ole  woman  hez  got  so  'cus- 
tomed  ter  moggin'  along  on  a  wegetable  diet  that  we 
kin  stan'  most  anything." 

Rose  hurried  back  with  her  father,  and  rendered  Mrs. 
Thurston  comfortable,  while  Watson  busied  himself 
making  a  fire  in  her  room. 

John  had  been  obliged  to  burn  up  one  of  his  outbuild- 
ings for  fuel,  and  with  the  remnants  of  a  long-deserted 
chicken-coop  Watson  soon  had  a  fire  which  sent  a  grate- 
ful warmth  through  Mrs.  Thurston's  room.  As  he  and 
Rose  returned  to  the  kitchen  the  girl's  eyes  rested 
greedily  on  the  table  with  Watson's  preparations  for  a 
banquet. 

"  Dad,"  she  remarked  hesitatingly,  "  do  ye  reckon  Mis' 
Thurston  '11  want  that  there  chicken  ?  " 

"  No,  no,"  said  Watson ;  "  I'm  af eared  her  feediii'  time 
's  a'most  passed,  Rose." 

"  Wai,  'tain't  right  to  waste  nothin',  dad,"  said  Rose, 
stepping  to  the  table,  and  lifting  the  bowl  of  broth 
eagerly  to  her  lips.  "  I  reckon  ma  would  like  some  on't," 
she  added  thoughtfully,  setting  down  the  dish  with  a 
longing  glance. 

"I  guess  ye  never  tasted  chicken  in  all  your  life, 
Rose,"  remarked  her  father,  appreciating  the  situation, 
"so  jist  go  ahead  an'  eat  a  bite,  an'  take  the  rest  home 
to  yer  ma  an'  the  young  uns;  it  '11  do  you  all  good,"  he 
continued,  seeing  her  hesitate;  "but  hurry  up,  fur  Mis' 
Thurston  may  want  ye." 

Rose  ate  a  small  share  of  the  chicken  with  great  rel- 
ish, and,  reserving  very  much  the  larger  portion,  carried 
it  unselfishly  to  the  little  ones  and  her  mother.  "I 


WATSON'S   REFLECTIONS  151 

ain't  glad  Mis'  Thurston's  sick,"  she  reflected,  as  she 
hurried  on,  "but  it  were  a  grand  piece,  o'  luck  that  dad 
ketched  that  chicken  jist  when  he  did.  I  kin  taste  it 
yet ;  "  and  who  knows  but  the  seeds  of  a  noble  aspiration 
were  planted  in  Kose's  mind  by  that  unexpected  morsel 
of  undreamed-of  luxury  which  fell  in  her  way. 

"  Ef  I  could  a'  ketched  that  thar  chicken  a  week  back," 
reflected  Watson,  as  he  sat  waiting  for  Hose  to  return, "  it 
might  a'  dun  her  more  good ;  or  ef  she'd  a'  ben  fur  enuff 
gone  not  ter  ax  whar  I  got  it,  she  might  a'  swall'ed  it; 
but  she  knowed  I  jist  ez  good  ez  stole  it,  an'  she  wouldn't 
never  hev  a  dollar  ter  pay  fur  it,  that's  whar  the  rub 
come.  It's  mighty  hard  ter  starve,"  concluded  Watson, 
rubbing  his  cuff  across  his  eyes,  "  but  it  cuts  wuss  some- 
how when  ye  ain't  used  ter  it." 

Ah,  Watson  !  Mrs.  Thurston  lying  there,  so  white  and 
suffering,  was  only  illustrating  the  pathos  of  your  own 
destiny,  for  is  there  anything  worse  than  a  starvation 
which  begins  with  life,  ends  only  with  death,  and  includes 
not  only  the  stomach  but  the  soul  ? 


152  WHICH  WINS 


CHAPTER   XVII 
MRS.  THURSTON'S  DEATH 

MRS.  THURSTON  never  rose  from  her  bed  again.  The 
next  morning  John  was  visited  by  the  officer  who  came 
to  compel  him  to  vacate  the  farm.  John  had  received 
notice  some  time  previously  of  the  foreclosure  of  the 
mortgage,  but  had  delayed  preparations  for  departure 
from  day  to  day,  with  a  desperate  feeling  that  he  knew 
not  where  to  go.  Now  it  seemed  as  if  a  decision  were 
imminent,  but  he  could  do  nothing  in  the  critical  condi- 
tion of  his  mother. 

"Will  you  turn  a  dying  woman  out  of  doors?"  he 
said  to  the  constable.  "  My  mother  can  hardly  live  more 
than  a  day  or  two,  and  I  should  like  to  have  her  die 
peacefully  in  her  bed,  without  being  troubled  by  anxiety 
as  to  my  future  in  her  last  moments." 

"Well,  Mr.  Thurston,"  replied  the  constable,  "my 
orders  is  to  vacate  the  premises  immejit;  but  if  the  old 
lady  lingers  on  a  day  or  two,  that  is,  if  she's  as  bad  as 
you  say,  I'll  wait  on  ye  peaceable  like.  I'm  darned  if 
I'll  hold  the  office  after  this  year,"  he  added ;  "  I  ben  kept 
that  busy  turnin'  folks  out  o'  doors  lately,  I  ain't  had 
my  reg'lar  sleep,  besides  the  strain  on  a  man's  narves," 
and  the  officer  scratched  his  head  anxiously  as  if  desir- 
ous of  opening  the  way  to  some  new  light  on  the  social 
question. 

John  thanked  him  for  his  complaisance,  and  returned 
to  his  mother's  bedside  with  a  horrible  feeling  that  he 
was  guilty  of  hastening  her  death,  so  full  of  dread  was 


A  TRAGICAL   CUP  OF   TEA  153 

he  that  her  dying  hour  might  be  disturbed  by  the  con- 
stable's efforts  at  eviction. 

"John,"  she  said  faintly,  as  he  leaned  over  and  took 
her  hand,  "  I  believe  I  could  drink  a  cup  of  tea  and  eat 
a  little  toast  if  I  had  it." 

John's  heart  contracted.  There  had  not  been  a  loaf 
of  white  bread  or  a  leaf  of  tea  in  the  house  for  many 
weeks.  In  an  instant  his  mind  canvassed  the  possibili- 
ties of  procuring  them ;  and  he  resolved  to  beg  them  of 
Mrs.  Nichols,  who  was  still  boarding  Bingham's  men, 
and  therefore  would  be  apt  to  have  them  in  the  house, 
though  the  tea  would,  of  course,  be  of  the  cheapest 
description.  As  he  rose  to  carry  out  his  design,  his 
mother  pressed  his  hand. 

"  Don't  leave  me,  dear,"  she  whispered  faintly. 

"  But,  mother,  the  tea.  I  will  be  back  in  a  moment," 
replied  John,  bending  over  her  with  oh  !  such  a  longing 
desire  to  find  some  elixir  for  prolonging  her  precious 
life,  with  such  agony  at  the  thought  that  he  could  do 
nothing  for  her,  nothing. 

"Never  mind,"  she  whispered,  looking  at  him  with 
her  dying  eyes ;  "  I  forgot,  we  haven't  any." 

It  seemed  to  John  that  his  heart  would  break.  Why 
had  he  not  done  something  ?  why  had  he  not  found  an 
opening,  he  reflected  bitterly,  that  would  at  least  have 
given  his  mother  an  assurance  of  dying  in  the  midst  of 
the  comforts  of  civilization,  safe  from  starvation  ?  Wat- 
son had  gone  to  Fulton  for  a  doctor;  and  John,  finding 
his  mother  had  dropped  asleep,  went  to  seek  Kose  and 
send  her  after  the  tea,  adjuring  her  not  to  forget  a  little 
milk  and  sugar  to  prepare  the  cup  as  Mrs.  Thurston 
liked  it. 

It  is  impossible  to  say  what  tale  Rose  told  Mrs. 
Nichols,  but  it  must  have  been  touching  enough  to 
rouse  her  sympathy ;  for,  in  a  marvellously  short  space 


154  WHICH  WINS 

of  time,  she  appeared  herself,  with  a  basket  containing 
the  essentials  for  a  cup  of  tea,  and  a  loaf  of  white  bread, 
which,  she  told  John,  she  just  happened  to  have  in  the 
house,  for  Mr.  Bingham  had  been  there,  and  he  wouldn't 
eat  corn  bread. 

"  It's  a  little  stale,"  she  added,  "  but  all  the  better  for 
toast  on  that  account ; "  and  she  insisted  upon  staying 
to  offer  her  neighborly  assistance  if  anything  should 
occur. 

John  made  a  fire  to  boil  the  kettle,  and  then  returned 
to  his  mother's  bedside,  to  watch  the  gray  shadow 
creeping  slowly  but  surely  over  the  dear  face.  Was 
there  no  way  of  lightening  it  ?  would  she  never  waken 
and  speak  to  him  again  ?  he  thought  sadly,  gazing  at  the 
eyes  which  would  not  unclose,  and  feeling  every  now 
and  then  the  fluttering  pulse,  which  seemed  each  moment 
to  grow  weaker  and  weaker.  Presently  he  heard  a  little 
bustle  outside,  and  the  doctor  came  in  with  Watson. 
He  shook  his  head  as  he  glanced  at  Mrs.  Thurston,  and 
called  for  brandy.  There  was  none  in  the  house. 
«  Whiskey  ?  "  No,  they  had  none. 

""You  must  be  teetotalers,  Mr.  Thurston/'  remarked 
the  doctor,  looking  about  at  the  prettily  furnished  room ; 
"folks  usually  have  a  little  spirits  in  the  house  when 
there's  sickness." 

John  said  nothing,  and  the  doctor  remarked,  after  a 
pause,  "  Is  your  mother  a  vegetarian,  Mr.  Thurston  ?  " 

"  No,"  replied  John ;  "  she  is  always  a  small  eater,  but 
not  a  vegetarian." 

"Now,  if  you  were  poor  folks,". continued  the  doctor, 
in  that  pleasant,  explanatory  manner,  which  physicians 
so  often  have  in  the  sick-room,  "  I  should  say  this  lady 
was  suffering  from  inanition,  caused  by  imperfect  nour- 
ishment. Her  symptoms  all  point  that  way." 

"Doctor,"  said  John  in  an  agony,  "don't  for  Heaven's 


A  SUGGESTIVE   LETTER  155 

sake  bother  about  what  is  the  matter  of  her,  but  tell  me 
if  there  is  any  hope  for  her ! " 

The  doctor  shook  his  head  again,  as  he  looked  at  the 
pale,  unconscious  face  upon  the  pillow.  "I'm  afraid 
she  is  going  fast,  Mr.  Thurston,"  he  replied  gently, 
roused  out  of  his  usual  professional  apathy  by  the 
agony  of  the  young  man's  tone.  "  She  may  revive  and 
even  take  a  little  nourishment,"  he  added,  pouring  a  few 
drops  from  a  flask  he  took  out  of  his  pocket,  and  putting 
it  to  her  lips.  "  Give  her  some  of  this  every  few  min- 
utes," he  said,  rising ;  "  it's  all  I  can  do  for  her." 

Through  the  long  morning  that  followed,  John  sat  by 
his  mother's  side,  putting  a  drop  of  the  cordial  to  her 
lips  now  and  then,  and  looking  in  vain  for  some  sign  of 
animation  in  her  pale  face.  Mrs.  Nichols  made  a  cup 
of  tea  and  brought  it  to  John,  begging  him  sympatheti- 
cally to  take  a  little ;  but  it  seemed  to  him  that  a  drop 
of  it  would  choke  him,  with  the  doctor's  words  ringing 
in  his  ears,  and  his  mother  lying  there  so  white  and  still 
before  him. 

Watson  came  in  after  a  while  with  a  letter  which  he 
had  found  at  the  post-office,  but  had  forgotten  to  deliver 
in  his  anxiety.  It  bore  the  postmark  of  Kansas  City, 
and  John  opened  it  after  it  had  lain  before  him  for 
half  an  hour,  with  a  listless  consciousness  of  indifference 
as  to  its  contents.  It  was  from  Ward,  he  saw  at  once, 
and  ran  thus  :  — 

DEAR  PARSIFAL,  —  I  suppose  you  received  my  cards,  and 
realize  that  by  this  time  I  am  a  benedict,  and  it  is  needless  to  say 
a  happy  one.  We  are  fairly  settled  in  Kansas  City,  and  Mrs.  Ward 
is  luxuriating  in  the  possession  of  a  new  Steinway,  which  she  pro- 
nounces perfect.  She  has  rather  astonished  people  out  here  by  her 
playing,  I  assure  you,  and  promises  to  become  a  social  sensation  of 
very  large  proportions. 

By  the  way,  I  was  in  at  Norton's  agency  this  morning,  and  heard 
of  your  misfortune  in  regard  to  the  farm.  I  can't  tell  you  how 


156  WHICH  WINS 

sorry  I  am.  Wish  I  were  in  a  condition  to  help  you  out;  but  of 
course  the  disturbance  of  opening  up  a  new  business  and  getting 
married,  too,  leaves  me  rather  short  of  cash.  However,  I  can 
offer  you  one  thing,  old  fellow.  You'll  be  looking  around  for 
something  to  do,  I  suppose.  Come  and  stay  with  us  for  a  while. 
Katherine  will  be  delighted  to  entertain  your  mother,  and  you  can 
fill  a  vacancy  in  the  office  till  something  better  turns  up.  Of 
course  you  wouldn't  want  such  a  place  as  a  permanency;  it 
wouldn't  pay  more  than  seventy-five  dollars  a  month;  but  it  will 
help  you  to  tide  over  for  the  time  being.  Katherine  joins  me  in 
good  wishes  to  your  mother.  She  has  been  much  amused  at  my 
account  of  you,  and  especially  at  your  nickname  of  "Parsifal." 
Let  us  hear  from  you  soon,  and  believe  me  always  your  friend, 

STEPHEN  WARD. 

"  What  a  cordial  letter  for  Ward  to  write  ! "  thought 
John  to  himself,  while  his  heart  contracted  at  thought 
of  its  contents,  though  he  scarcely  realized  what  they 
meant  to  him  from  the  depths  of  his  new  trouble. 

"Seventy-five  dollars  a  month  !  "  he  muttered  to  him- 
self. "  Ward  little  dreams  how  large  that  has  looked  to 
me  lately  !  Why  did  he  not  offer  it  before  ?  "  and  he 
glanced  toward  the  bed  with  a  dull,  pained  sense  of  won- 
dering whether  the  result  might  have  been  different  if 
Ward  had  thought  of  his  needs  earlier. 

There  was  no  suspicion  in  his  mind  as  to  the  real 
state  of  the  case.  It  never  occurred  to  him  that  there 
could  be  a  background  of  remorse  behind  Ward's  cor- 
diality, though  he  had  often  wondered  how  it  happened 
that  Leverson  disposed  of  his  mortgage  to  a  Kansas-City 
firm.  His  knowledge  of  Ward's  character  would  not 
have  led  him  to  form  any  suspicion  of  his  culpability ; 
for,  as  he  knew  him,  he  was  sharp  and  shrewd  in  all 
business  matters  —  unscrupulous  perhaps  —  but  not  essen- 
tially lacking  in  human  feeling. 

"Ward  will  drive  a  hard  bargain,"  he  had  said  to 
himself  several  times  recently,  "but  he  wouldn't  take 
advantage  of  a  friend."  A  remark  which  may  have 


JOHN'S    SELF-ACCUSATION  157 

arisen  from  some  dawning  consciousness  of  deterioration 
in  Ward's  character. 

He  rose  and  walked  up  and  down  the  room,  tortured 
by  the  intense  focus  to  which  his  thoughts  seemed  to  be 
drawn  by  Ward's  letter.  Is  there  anything  in  life  more 
agonizing  than  that  clear  vision  which  comes  to  us  in 
deep  suffering,  when  we  seem  to  see  our  past  life  mapped 
out  before  us,  and  realize  suddenly  the  things  we  might 
have  done,  but  failed  to  undertake  ?  As  John  looked  at 
the  scene  spread  before  his  inward  eye,  he  wrung  his 
hands.  It  had  been  one  failure  after  another,  yet  what 
could  he  have  done  to  alter  the  result  ? 

He  seemed  to  himself  to  have  been  the  victim  of 
causes  so  gigantic  that  one  human  arm  must  count  as 
nothing  against  them ;  and  though  the  conviction  that 
he  might  have  saved  his  fortunes  would  have  been 
unbearable,  it  seemed  as  if  anything  would  be  better 
than  the  crushing  sense  of  utter  powerlessness  under 
which  he  bowed. 

"  To  think  that  we  are  not  alone,  that  the  suffering 
which  we  endure  is  weighing  upon  the  whole  world," 
he  said,  pulling  the  curtain  aside,  and  looking  out  on  the 
lawn  just  showing  some  patches  of  green  under  the 
warmth  of  an  April  sun.  It  seemed  as  if  his  mind  went 
on  mechanically  recalling  every  event  connected  with 
his  settlement  in  Nebraska,  and  the  distress  which  his 
mother  had  endured  on  his  account.  How  cheerily  she 
had  insisted  upon  coming  West  to  take  care  of  him,  and 
now  she  was  about  to  die  for  him  !  If  there  was  a  sus- 
picion of  self-pity  roused  in  John's  heart  by  Ward's 
letter,  it  vanished  then  and  there. 

He  turned  to  the  bedside  with  a  fresh  realization  of 
hig  impending  loss ;  and,  as  he  leaned  over  the  invalid, 
he  saw  to  his  surprise  that  she  had  wakened,  and  looked 
up  at  him  with  a  smile  of  recognition. 


158  WHICH  WINS 

"  Dear  mother  !  "  he  cried,  overjoyed  suddenly  at  the 
possibility  that  she  might  recover  after  all;  "I  have 
some  tea  now ;  will  you  drink  a  little  ?  "  Seeing  assent 
in  her  eyes,  he  hastened  to  the  kitchen,  and  returned 
with  a  small  tray. 

"  The  toast  is  cold,  mother,  but  the  tea  is  hot ;  and  if 
you  drink  this,  I  can  make  you  some  fresh  toast  in  a 
moment,"  he  said,  so  glad  at  the  chance  of  looking  into 
her  dear  eyes  once  more,  that  his  hand  trembled  and  he 
spilled  some  of  the  precious  tea.  Gently  he  slipped  an 
arm  under  her  head,  and  put  the  spoon  to  her  lips. 

"  It  is  quite  decent  tea,  mother,"  he  cried ;  "  the  kind 
Mr.  Bingham  drinks,  but  not  so  nice  as  what  we  used  to 
have  in  New  York,  I  am  sure." 

But,  alas !  it  was  too  late.  Frightened  at  the  gray 
shadow  he  saw  creeping  over  the  face  before  him,  John 
hastily  put  down  the  cup  and  knelt  by  the  bedside. 

"John,"  she  murmured  with  panting  breath,  "  I'm  not 
afraid,  it's  better  there ; "  and  that  was  all. 

John  buried  his  face  on  the  pillow  beside  the  dear 
head  which  had  held  chief  thought  for  him  so  many 
years,  and  he  forgot  everything  else.  There  is  no  time 
at  such  moments.  We  sink  into  eternity,  and  the  world 
with  its  transient  emotions  slips  away  from  the  infinite 
where  we  are. 

Watson,  coming  in  later,  found  them  thus,  the  dead 
face  and  the  living.  There  was  a  question  in  his  mind 
as  he  touched  John's  arm.  But  fate  was  not  so  kind, 
and  John  came  back  to  the  present  again,  to  the  world 
of  finance  and  difficulty.  But  he  had  lost  something. 
Do  we  not  all  leave  a  fraction  behind  us,  a  touch  of  the 
crushing  weight  of  our  own  individuality,  when  we 
merge  ourselves  even  for  a  moment  in  that  mysterious 
infinite  where  the  soul  is  lost  to  sight  ?  Watson  thought 
so.  To  him  John  was  never  quite  the  same  after  he 


MRS.    THURSTON'S   FUNERAL  159 

found  him  that  day,  and  roused  him  once  more  to  every- 
day thinking  and  living. 

"  She  died  in  time,  Watson,"  said  John  bitterly,  as 
they  stood  by  the  door  in  the  evening  shadow ;  "  Wheeler 
gave  me  two  days." 

Watson  said  nothing ;  he  was  thinking  of  a  practical 
necessity  which  demanded  consideration  at  the  moment. 

"  Ye'll  hev  ter  be  a-buryin'  of  her,  Mr.  Thurston,"  he 
said  hesitatingly.  "I  reckon  I  better  git  out  the  ole 
mule,  an'  ride  over  fur  an  undertaker." 

John  put  up  his  hand.  "Don't,  Watson,"  he  said 
hurriedly  ;  "  we'll  talk  about  that  to-morrow." 

"Wai,  come  down  ter  my  house  an'  let  Rose  git  ye 
suthin'  ter  eat,"  entreated  Watson,  frightened  at  the 
tense  look  of  the  young  man's  face. 

But  John  shook  his  head,  and  presently  returned  to 
the  room  where  the  dead  woman  lay.  Watson's  sugges- 
tion had  started  a  new  train  of  thought.  No  strange 
hands  should  touch  his  mother's  body,  he  determined; 
110  coarse  queries  in  regard  to  unpaid  bills  should  come 
into  the  atmosphere  of  her  death.  In  his  strained  and 
suffering  mood  he  seemed  doing  her  bidding  as  he  went 
about  softly  and  gently,  preparing  her  body  for  burial. 

After  a  while  he  took  a  bit  of  candle  and  went  out  to 
the  barn,  where  there  were  some  timbers  he  had  taken 
from  the  outbuilding  he  had  torn  down  for  fuel.  He 
fastened  his  light  up  more  for  form's  sake  than  anything 
else,  for  the  white  moonlight  flooded  the  whole  place, 
and  set  to  work  fashioning  as  neatly  as  possible  a  box 
to  hold  his  mother's  body.  As  he  labored  on,  waking 
echoes  upon  the  silent  prairie  with  the  noise  of  saw  and 
plane,  Watson  put  his  head  in  at  the  door. 

"  Wot  on  airth  are  ye  at,  Mr.  Thurston  ?  "  he  asked  in 
amazement. 

"Watson,"  replied  John,  "I  don't  think  my  mother 


160  WHICH  WIffS 

would  like  to  be  buried  on  credit.  I'm  going  to  make 
her  coffin  myself,  and  say  my  own  prayer  over  her 
resting-place." 

"  Wai,  ef  ye  ain't  the  quarest ! "  exclaimed  Watson, 
lost  in  astonishment.  "An'  ain't  ye  goin'  ter  hev  the 
preacher  neither  ?  "  he  asked  doubtfully. 

"No,"  said  John;  "do  you  think  I'll  have  that  man 
stand  and  pray  over  her,  who  never  came  near  her  after 
he  found  she  couldn't  pay  pew  rent  any  longer  ?  Didn't 
he  help  to  starve  her  spiritually  ?  " 

"She  thought  a  heap  o'  church,  though,"  responded 
Watson,  who  had  experienced  Mrs.  Thurston's  churchly 
rigor  more  than  once,  and  was  not  at  all  sure  she  would 
approve  of  her  son's  idea  of  a  fitting  funeral  service. 

"  Yes,  I  know,"  said  John  quietly ;  "  but  she  would 
feel  as  I  do  about  this,  I  am  sure,  Watson.  She  felt  the 
treatment  of  that  old  hypocrite  as  much  as  I  did,  and  he 
sha'n't  lay  her  to  rest." 

Watson  watched  John  with  a  curious  fascination, 
until  the  task  was  finished,  and  they  stood  once  more  in 
the  still  moonlight. 

"  We'll  bury  her  under  that  big  tree  by  the  creek  in 
the  morning,  Watson,"  said  John  ;  "  she  loved  that  spot," 
and  he  wrung  the  hand  of  his  simple  friend.  "  Watson," 
he  said  again,  "  I'll  never  forget  how  you've  stood  by  me 
in  this  trouble." 

The  kind-hearted  fellow  took  these  words  as  a  dis- 
missal for  the  time  being,  and  went  home,  drawing  his 
cuff  across  his  eyes  more  than  once  as  he  traversed  the 
moonlit  distance  to  the  little  shanty  where  John's  kind- 
ness had  provided  him  a  home. 

"I  ain't  done  nothin',"  he  muttered;  "but  he  ain't 
like  most  folks,  he  sees  wot  ye'd  like  to  do  ef  ye 
could." 

To  John,  the  hours  of  watching  beside  his  mother's 


THE  SADDEST   MOMENT  161 

senseless  body  were  very  precious.  He  felt  the  presence 
of  her  spirit  with  him,  felt  the  relief  which  death  had 
brought  her,  and  which  had  mirrored  itself  in  her  face 
as  she  drew  her  last  breath.  So,  though  the  agony  of 
the  parting  was  still  upon  him,  lie  felt  glad  that  she  was 
free ;  glad  that  for  her  the  weary  struggle  with  the  world 
was  over,  and  she  was  at  rest. 

But  alas  !  such  comforting  thoughts  could  not  stay 
with  him,  and  the  sense  of  his  loneliness  pressed  upon 
him  again. 

"  She  will  be  glad  to  have  me  go  away  from  here,"  he 
thought,  as  he  stroked  the  cold  hand  he  held  in  his;  "even 
in  the  other  world  she  would  worry  over  the  results  of  a 
corn-bread  diet  for  me,  and  mourn  to  think  she  was  not 
here  to  share  it !  0  mother,  mother  ! "  he  cried,  "  why 
couldn't  you  live  to  leave  this  place  with  me ! " 


162  WHICH  WINS 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

A   NEW    ATMOSPHERE 

ONE  evening,  a  few  weeks  later,  John  was  in  Kansas 
City,  dining  at  Ward's.  A  very  elegant  table  it  was  to 
which  they  sat  down  :  a  table  covered  with  artistic  china, 
with  beautiful  silver  and  glittering  cut-glass,  for  Ward 
delighted  in  everything  which  displayed  his  wealth,  and 
his  economies  were  hidden  from  the  public  eye ;  he  pre- 
ferred to  conceal  them  under  such  a  shining  mask  that 
their  presence  would  never  be  suspected. 

As  John  looked  at  the  brilliant  scene  about  him,  he 
could  not  but  contrast  it  with  the  events  which  he  had 
experienced  so  recently ;  arid  though  no  bitterness  from 
his  own  sorrows  clouded  his  spirit,  he  probably  reflected 
more  upon  the  injustice  of  human  conditions  than  he 
would  have  done  otherwise.  To-night,  with  Katherine 
smiling  upon  him  from  one  end  of  the  table,  and  Ward 
all  attention  at  the  other,  he  could  hardly  be  morose ; 
and  he  showed  his  appreciation  of  the  kindness  about 
him  by  banishing  care  from  his  countenance  at  least. 

"  I  have  not  heard  you  play  yet,  Mrs.  Ward,"  he  said  to 
his  beautiful  hostess  as  they  sat  down. 

"  No,"  she  replied ;  "  but  you  shall  do  so  after  dinner, 
if  you  wish.  I  am  always  glad  to  play  for  people." 

"You  have  been  married  six  months  and  have  not 
given  up  your  music,"  said  John,  with  a  smile. 

"  Oh,  there  is  no  fear  of  my  giving  it  up,"  she  replied ; 
"  it  is  my  life.  My  only  trouble  is  that  Stephen  objects 
to  my  giving  lessons  and  playing  in  public.  I  have  not 


KATHERINE'S  NEW  DIGNITIES  163 

promised  yet  to  obey,"  she  added,  with  a  little  laugh  to 
her  husband ;  "  I  have  merely  refrained  out  of  deference 
to  his  early  married  feelings." 

John  fancied  there  was  the  merest  touch  of  bitterness 
under  these  words,  and  his  impression  was  strengthened 
when  Ward  replied  with  some  annoyance :  "  The  idea  of 
her  thinking  of  such  a  thing  is  so  perfectly  absurd,  is  it 
not,  Thurston  ?  She  had  better  leave  music  lessons  to 
the  poor  devils  who  have  bread  and  butter  to  think  of. 
People  would  never  get  through  gossiping  and  won- 
dering if  Mrs.  Stephen  Ward  went  to  giving  music 
lessons." 

"Well,"  responded  Katherine  lightly,  "Mrs.  Ward 
won't  worry  them  yet  a  while.  But  I  am  a  very  inde- 
pendent person,  and  I  fairly  pine  to  be  doing  something 
in  the  world,"  she  added,  resting  her  elbow  lightly  on 
the  table.  "I  cannot  spend  my  time  as  fashionable 
women  do,  making  calls,  and  giving  luncheons.  I  want 
to  feel  that  I  am  a  benefit  to  some  one." 

"  But  you  can  take  it  out  in  being  a  benefit  to  me," 
said  her  husband. 

"Oh,  that  won't  do  at  all,"  she  replied;  "you  are 
pleased  simply  because  I  exist.  I  want  to  do  something 
which  requires  sacrifice  on  my  part.  Really,"  she  con- 
cluded, "  I  have  done  more  thinking  since  Stephen  took 
away  my  object  in  life  than  I  ever  imagined  possible.  I 
always  absorbed  myself  in  music,  and  the  rest  of  the 
world  was  a  dream,  more  or  less ;  but  lately,  things  are 
getting  painfully  real." 

"Come  now,  Katherine,"  exclaimed  Ward,  a  little 
brusquely,  John  thought,  "  what  sort  of  a  remark  is  that 
for  you  to  make  ?  John  will  think  I  am  a  regular  Blue- 
beard." 

"  Oh,  it  was  not  a  personal  remark  :  that  is,  not  per- 
sonal outside  of  myself,"  said  Katherine,  flushing  some- 


164  WHICH  WINS 

what ;  "  the  world  always  seems  a  trifle  different  after 
one  is  married,  does  it  not  ?  " 

"I  should  think  it  would  seem  much  more  rosy  to 
Stephen,"  replied  John,  and  then  was  disgusted  with 
himself  for  having  made  such  a  commonplace  remark. 
Katherine  was  not  a  woman  to  be  flattered.  In  spite  of 
the  beauty  which  was  so  resplendent  that  night,  one  felt 
that  it  was  not  the  best  or  greatest  part  of  herself. 
John  compared  her  face  with  that  one  which  had  been 
the  accompaniment  of  his  dreams  so  long ;  and  he  found 
the  reality,  while  very  different,  hardly  less  charming 
than  the  vision  had  been. 

"  Why  don't  you  interest  yourself  in  charities  or  church- 
work  ?  "  he  asked  experimentally.  "  I  should  think  Ward 
would  approve  of  such  feminine  activities  as  that." 

"  Oh,  as  to  charities,"  said  Katherine,  laughing,  "  Ste- 
phen declares  that  I  would  give  away  everything  he  has, 
if  I  could  get  my  hands  on  it,  and  I  must  confess  I  am 
not  much  of  a  church-goer  as  yet.  We  attend  an  Epis- 
copal church,  but  music  is  my  religion  to  such  a  degree 
that  I  am  not  an  enthusiastic  worshipper  in  conventional 
assemblies,  especially  when  the  music  is  bad,"  she  added 
with  a  little  grimace. 

"Katherine  hasn't  quite  settled  down  into  her  new 
environment  yet,"  remarked  Ward,  in  a  tone  which  in- 
dicated that  he  wished  to  see  a  new  topic  introduced 
into  the  conversation.  "  She  has  been  accustomed  always 
to  a  far  less  conventional  life  than  we  live  here,  but  she 
will  grow  into  it  after  a  while." 

"  Will  she  ?  "  thought  John  to  himself,  as  he  watched 
the  flush  deepen  on  the  face  at  the  other  end  of  the 
table.  "  Will  she  harden  and  crystallize  into  lines  which 
others  mark  out  for  her,  or  will  she  find  a  path  for 
herself,  and  pursue  it  in  spite  of  reproof  and  social 
prejudice  ?  " 


WARD'S   MARRIED   FELICITY  165 

.  John  could  not  help  the  questioning  undercurrent 
which  went  on  in  his  thoughts  during  the  remainder  of 
the  dinner,  and  which  surged  rebelliously  forward  under 
the  commonplace  inquiries  which  Ward  made ;  and  he 
answered  until  the  dessert  was  served,  and  they  went 
back  to  the  drawing-room.  Ward  was  anxious  that 
John  should  hear  his  wife  play,  anxious  that  he  should 
realize  all  her  brilliancy  and  accomplishments.  John 
was  conscious  of  a  sort  of  resentment  at  the  way  in 
which  he  spoke  of  her  talents,  even  at  his  manner  of 
leading  her  to  the  piano :  it  seemed  to  say  so  plainly,  "  I 
own  this  woman ;  see  how  valuable  she  is !  Wouldn't 
she  bring  a  great  price  in  the  market  ?  " 

Katherine  would  not  play  immediately  as  Ward  wished, 
declaring  it  was  too  soon  after  dinner. 

"Playing  is  thinking  and  feeling,"  she  declared;  "one 
can't  do  it  just  after  dining."  So  they  sat  and  talked  a 
while  in  the  softly  lighted  apartment,  and  then  Katherine 
went  to  the  piano. 

She  played  Schumann's  first  carnival,  —  the  one  he 
wrote  and  sent  to  Clara  Wieck  for  her  approval  before 
their  marriage,  —  and  Ward  was  rather  annoyed  at  the 
odd  romantic  music,  which  had  no  showy  effects  for  the 
dazzling  of  a  vulgar  public.  But  when  he  saw  John 
intent  and  interested,  he  was  better  satisfied,  for  he 
knew  he  was  something  of  a  connoisseur  in  music.  As 
Katherine  finished,  Ward  snapped  his  watch  loudly. 

"  Well,  that's  quite  a  feat,"  he  cried  ;  "  forty  minutes, 
Parsifal,  and  without  her  notes  ! " 

John  smiled.  "  I  have  not  heard  that  since  the  old 
days  at  Berlin,"  he  said ;  "  I  cannot  tell  you  what  pleas- 
ure you  have  given  me." 

"  But  that  thing  does  not  show  off  her  technique  at  all," 
objected  Ward,  who  was  not  musician  enough  to  appre- 
ciate the  difficulty  of  the  performance.  "  Play  him  that 


166  WHICH  WINS 

intricate  part  from  the  Midsummer  Night's  Dream, 
Katherine,  or  one  of  your  Bach  fugues  now." 

"  No,  not  to-night,"  said  John  ;  "  I  want  to  remember 
the  carnival,  thank  you :  it  brings  back  so  many  recol- 
lections of  other  days." 

He  said  good-night,  feeling  that  in  some  mysterious 
fashion  a  new  interest  had  entered  his  life.  He  realized 
as  never  before  what  a  large  portion  of  his  waking  and 
sleeping  dreams  the  memory  of  Katherine  had  filled 
during  the  years  since  he  had  first  seen  her.  The  dreams 
of  other  days  had  vanished,  but  what  meant  this  flesh 
and  blood  reality,  whom  he  had  no  right  to  think  of,  and 
whom  Ward  owned  and  appraised,  evidently  ?  " 

A  warm  fresh  personality  had  slipped  into  the  blank- 
ness  and  desolation  of  his  thoughts. 


JOHN  LEARNS  SOMETHING  OF  BUSINESS      167 


CHAPTER  XIX 

JOHN   LEARNS    SOMETHING   OF   BUSINESS 

LIFE  took  on  many  new  phases  to  John  in  the  next 
few  weeks  ;  and  he  felt  that  the  quiet  years  on  the  farm 
had  put  an  element  into  his  life  and  thoughts  which  had 
been  lacking  there  before.  He  found  himself  judging 
men  by  different  standards,  searching  among  them  for 
different  ideals  than  those  which  had  appealed  to  him  in 
former  days,  though  he  could  see  that  the  influences 
dominating  him  at  present  were  a  natural  outgrowth  of 
the  tendencies  of  former  years. 

His  longing  for  liberty  and  equality  had  taken  a  more 
definite  shape ;  and  he  found  himself  instinctively  watch- 
ing for  a  desecration  of  his  ideal  in  this  direction,  in 
the  forms  of  business  and  social  life,  and  eager  to  follow 
all  trains  of  thought  or  action  which  led  to  the  shaking 
off  of  conventional  prejudice.  He  could  not  have  hap- 
pened upon  a  better  place  for  the  intensification  of  all 
his  humanitarian  notions  than  a  broker's  office,  for  there, 
if  anywhere,  the  spirit  of  Shylock  is  present,  and  the 
medium  of  exchange  is  the  flesh  and  blood  of  mankind. 
This  is  particularly  true  of  the  brokers'  agencies  of  the 
West,  where  the  stir  and  rapidity  of  business  gives  men 
an  unusual  opportunity  to  practise  certain  methods  not 
tolerated  in  older  communities. 

John  drew  up  contracts,  mortgages,  and  deeds  of  trust, 
but  whatever  paper  he  was  busied  upon  it  was  manifest 
to  him  that  the  interest  of  the  house  whose  employe  he 
was  must  be  invariably  consulted,  to  the  exclusion  of 


168  WHICH  WINS 

everything  else,  with  results  so  melancholy  to  its  patrons 
that  he  left  his  desk  every  evening,  after  ten  or  twelve 
hours  of  hard  labor,  feeling  as  if  nothing  should  drive 
him  back  to  its  hateful  slavery  again.  Nevertheless, 
the  next  morning  found  him  at  his  post ;  and  he  said 
sometimes  that,  if  suddenly  called  into  eternity,  he 
would  set  to  work  drawing  mortgages  for  the  hosts  of 
heaven  on  the  planets  and  fixed  stars,  since  his  earthly 
habits  would  have  rendered  him  incapable  of  any  other 
activity.  Things  went  on  in  the  office  meanwhile  which 
made  him  feel  as  if  he  were  a  criminal  to  sit  still  and 
see  helpless  human  beings  defrauded  of  their  just 
rights,  without  crying  aloud  to  them  to  beware. 

One  day  he  was  drawing  up  a  mortgage  on  a  farm  in 
Kansas.  It  was  evidently  a  fine  estate,  —  a  stone  house, 
ice-house  with  running  spring,  implements  of  every  sort, 
and  highly  improved.  It  struck  him  as  peculiar  that 
upon  so  well  stocked  a  farm,  no  cattle  should  be  men- 
tioned ;  and  he  said  to  the  young  man  who  sat  next  to 
him,  at  the  desk,  — 

"  Do  you  suppose  that  the  owner  of  this  place  has 
mortgaged  his  cattle  already  ?  It  seems  odd  that  they 
are  not  included  in  this  inventory." 

Ward  came  in  just  then,  and  the  young  man  showed 
him  the  paper,  calling  his  attention  to  the  absence  of 
cattle  in  the  list  of  effects. 

"  Why,  write  them  in,  of  course,"  said  Ward  quickly ; 
"there  are  a  hundred  cattle  on  that  place,  at  least. 
That  old  mossback  is  simply  trying  to  get  ahead  of  me, 
that's  all." 

"But,  Ward,"  exclaimed  John,  "that  is  not  exactly 
honest,  is  it  ?  He  may  have  some  reason  for  wishing  to 
exempt  his  cattle." 

"  I  don't  care  anything  about  his  reasons,"  said  Ward 
brusquely ;  "  write  in  the  cattle,  I  tell  you." 


A  WESTERN  BROKER'S  OFFICE       169 

John  looked  up  in  surprise.  Ward  was  not  in  the 
habit  of  addressing  him  in  this  tone,  though  he  heard  it 
used  frequently  to  the  other  clerks. 

"  I  can't  do  such  a  thing,  Ward,"  he  said  quietly ;  "  let 
ine  work  on  another  paper,  if  you  please." 

"Keally,  Thurston,"  replied  Ward,  looking  thoroughly 
annoyed,  as  he  took  the  paper  and  altered  it  himself,  "  I 
did  not  expect  that  of  you." 

John  said  nothing,  though  he  flushed  slightly,  and 
occupied  himself  with  other  matters. 

"  You  must  have  some  hold  on  Mr.  Ward,"  remarked 
the  clerk  beside  him  after  Ward  had  left. 

"  Why,  how  is  that  ?  "  asked  John  in  surprise. 

"  Any  of  the  rest  of  us  would  have  bee'n  bounced  on 
the  spot  for  making  such  a  speech  as  that,"  he  replied. 
"  Mr.  Ward  won't  tolerate  any  criticism." 

"  We  are  old  friends,"  said  John  quietly ;  but  he 
ground  his  teeth  at  the  thought  that  a  poor  man  could 
only  be  honest  by  special  privilege. 

A  considerable  portion  of  the  correspondence  of  the 
firm  soon  fell  into  John's  hands,  and  he  thus  began  to 
feel  as  if  united  by  a  quasi-acquaintance  with  many 
persons  whom  he  had  never  seen,  but  for  whom  his 
sympathies  were  keenly  aroused.  He  learned  before 
long  that  if  a  man  had  obtained  a  loan  by  giving  a  mort- 
gage for  a  small  sum  upon  a  fine  farm,  it  was  next  to 
useless  to  try  and  get  any  terms  for  him.  The  firm  had 
wound  its  fingers  round  the  farmer's  throat,  and  meant 
to  keep  them  there. 

A  Mr.  Robinson  in  Cowley  County,  Kan.,  was  a  fair 
sample  of  many  others,  with  whose  names  John  became 
sadly  familiar  in  a  little  while.  The  firm  had  obtained 
a  loan  for  him  from  an  Eastern  party,  and  he  had  paid 
the  interest  several  times.  At  last,  however,  the  date 
of  its  payment  came  round  again,  and  Mr.  Kobinson's 
remittance  did  not  appear. 


170  WHICH  WINS 

"Write  to  Robinson,"  commanded  Ward,  "that  his 
loan  is  off." 

"  But  don't  you  think  you  could  wait  a  few  days  ?  " 
said  John  anxiously ;  "  I  am  sure  he  is  all  right." 

"Parsifal,"  said  Ward  impatiently,  "I  wish  you 
wouldn't  give  me  advice.  I  don't  like  to  be  disagreeable, 
but  you  see  your  own  experience  has  made  you  unduly 
sensitive,  and  you  can't  judge  of  my  business.  It's 
purely  an  affair  of  profit  and  loss  with  me." 

John  said  no  more,  but  wrote  the  letter,  and  received 
a  reply  from  Mr.  Kobinson,  apologizing  for  his  delay,  and 
enclosing  the  usual  amount  for  interest.  John  took  the 
letter  to  Ward  with  great  delight,  but  the  latter  coldly 
told  him  to  refund  the  amount,  and  tell  Kobinson  again 
that  the  loan  was  off.  John  had  learned  by  this  time  to 
say  nothing,  so  he  did  Ward's  bidding,  and  received  by 
return  mail  an  order  to  renew  Mr.  Kobinson's  loan, 
with  a  commission  of  fifteen  per  cent  thereon,  for  Ward, 
Dysart  &  Co. 

"  That's  business,"  said  Ward  as  he  read  the  letter ; 
"  tell  him  it's  0.  K."  And  Mr.  Kobinson  escaped  fore- 
closure for  this  once,  while  the  fat  commission  dropped 
into  the  safe  of  Ward,  Dysart  &  Co. ;  and  John  learned 
afterward  that  Ward  had  sent  the  usual  instalment  of 
interest  to  the  eastern  creditor,  knowing  well  that  Mr. 
Robinson  would  pay  it,  and  intending  to  fleece  him  to 
the  extent  of  another  commission. 

Some  time  afterward  John  was  informed  that  Mr. 
Robinson's  taxes  were  overdue,  and  that  he  should  send 
a  check  for  their  payment,  and  notify  Mr.  Robinson  of 
the  fact. 

"  Why  not  remind  Mr.  Robinson  of  the  taxes  before 
you  pay  them  ?  "  suggested  John,  who  had  grown  wise 
enough  by  this  time  to  know  that  this  payment  of  taxes 
was  not  made  as  a  favor  to  Mr.  Robinson. 


THE  MORTGAGE  FIEND  171 

"  It's  not  my  business  to  take  care  of  his  affairs," 
said  Ward  sharply ;  "  I  have  enough  to  do  to  look  after 
my  own.  I'll  pay  his  taxes,  and  he  can  give  me  fifteen 
per  cent  on  the  amount  until  he  gets  ready  to  buy  my 
tax-title." 

John  shut  his  lips  together,  and  wrote  the  letter.  He 
seemed  to  see  the  coils  gathering  about  poor  Robinson, 
which  were  to  wind  over  and  around  him,  until  he  was 
drawn  bound  and  helpless  from  the  home  which  repre- 
sented the  toil  of  a  lifetime,  and  all  the  sweet  cluster- 
ing associations  of  early  marriage,  of  love  and  happy 
childhood. 

And  indeed  so  it  was.  Robinson  was  a  prosperous 
farmer  when  he  first  fell  into  the  toils  of  the  loan- 
brokers,  but  before  many  years  he  was  turned  out  of  his 
farm  and  forced  to  begin  life  anew,  with  the  world 
before  him,  and  nothing  but  his  two  work-worn  hands 
to  get  him  a  mouthful  to  eat.  John  soon  learned  that 
Robinson's  was  not  an  unusal  case.  There  were  many 
others  going  through  the  same  experience,  and  very  few 
who  ever  paid  up  their  indebtedness  and  escaped  alive. 

Perhaps  the  case  which  roused  his  sympathies  most 
keenly,  however,  was  not  that  of  a  farmer,  but  of  an 
acquaintance  with  whose  troubles  he  had  been  familiar 
from  the  first.  Soon  after  his  arrival  in  Kansas  City 
he  met  a  young  merchant  named  Hodgkins,  between 
whom  and  himself  there  were  many  interests  in  com- 
mon. Hodgkins  had  made  money  during  the  "  boom, "  — 
a  great  deal  of  it,  —  but  toward  its  close  he  speculated 
wildly  and  foolishly,  so  that  at  last  everything  he  had 
was  locked  up  in  a  gigantic  building,  which  he  could 
neither  complete  nor  pay  for. 

He  struggled  on  overwhelmed  by  debts,  and  supported 
most  bravely  by  his  wife,  John  thought,  who  was  a 
courageous,  cheery  little  woman,  until  one  day  he  walked 


172  WHICH  WINS 

into  the  office  looking  particularly  blue.  He  came  up 
to  John,  and,  as  he  shook  hands,  he  said,  — 

"  Thurston,  I  want  to  borrow  some  money." 

"  Well,"  said  John,  "  I  don't  suppose  there'll  be  any 
trouble  about  it ;  that's  what  we're  here  for." 

"  I  wish  you  would  come  into  Mr.  Ward's  office," 
went  on  Mr.  Hodgkins,  "  and  tell  him  something  about 
the  value  of  my  books  and  pictures :  I  want  to  make  a 
loan  on  them." 

"  Oh,  I  wouldn't  do  it ! "  exclaimed  John  quickly  : 
"they're  all  you  have  left,  and  you'll  lose  them 
sure." 

"  But  you  see,"  responded  the  other,  shaking  his  head, 
"  the  last  lien  on  that  cursed  building  has  to  be  paid. 
It's  foolish  of  me,  I  suppose,  to  bother  about  it,  as  the 
whole  thing  has  really  gone  out  of  my  hands,  only  it's 
a  carpenters'  lien,  and  those  poor  fellows  need  the  money 
awfully.  I  can  raise  it  in  three  weeks,  and  meantime  I 
can  get  the  money  on  my  books  and  pictures,  and  pay  it 
off ;  there's  no  danger,"  he  added  confidently. 

John  looked  at  his  friend  with  increasing  anxiety. 

"  I'll  go  to  Ward  with  you,  of  course,"  he  said,  "  but 
I  advise  you  again  not  to  do  it.  You  run  the  risk  of 
putting  yourself  in  a  box  you  can't  get  out  of." 

"  Why,  you  talk  as  if  I  were  going  to  a  pawnbroker ! " 
cried  Hodgkins,  laughing  a  trifle  uneasily.  "  Supposing 
I  am  a  little  longer  than  three  weeks  paying  off  the  loan, 
a  firm  like  Ward  &  Dysart  wouldn't  press  me." 

John's  heart  contracted  as  he  reflected  how  many  men 
Ward  &  Dysart  had  pressed  to  the  wall,  but  he  felt 
that  he  was  not  at  liberty  to  say  any  more,  and  accom- 
panied Mr.  Hodgkins  silently  to  Mr.  Ward's  private 
office.  The  matter  was  arranged  without  difficulty,  and 
Ward  assured  the  young  man  warmly  that  he  need  have 
no  anxiety  about  the  mortgage ;  he  would  not  be  hurried 


A   MODERN   BRIGAND  173 

in  paying  off  the  note ;  the  stipulation  as  to  time  was 
only  a  formality,  etc. 

John  went  back  to  his  desk  somewhat  relieved,  and 
thought  no  more  of  the  matter  until  about  three  weeks 
later,  when  Dysart  came  into  the  office  one  morning, 
apparently  in  considerable  excitement. 

" Ward !"  he  cried,  "you  know  Hodgkins's  note  was 
due  yesterday,  don't  you  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  replied  his  partner  coolly,  "  I  know  it." 

"  Well,  he  won't  pay,"  continued  Dysart,  "  and  for  my 
part  I  don't  want  to  let  that  snap  slip  through  my 
fingers.  He  has  a  beautiful  collection  of  etchings,  and 
we  can  take  the  whole  thing.  He  never  read  over  the 
mortgage  at  all,  fool,  and  it  really  covers  all  there  is  in 
the  house.  I'm  going  to  send  Mrs.  Dysart  out  there  to 
look  over  the  place,  and  see  what  they  have ;  and  we 
can  select  the  things  we  want,  and  sell  the  rest.  The 
loan  is  practically  nothing  compared  with  the  value  of 
the  property,  I  understand." 

"Yes,"  said  Ward  thoughtfully,  "it  will  be  a  good 
way  to  add  something  to  my  library  at  small  expense, 
and  it  wouldn't  do  to  let  it  pass." 

John,  who  was  writing  in  Ward's  private  office  that 
morning,  listened  to  this  conversation  with  sorrowful 
astonishment.  As  Mr.  Dysart  went  out,  he  said  hesi- 
tatingly to  his  employer,  — 

"Don't  you  remember,  Ward,  you  told  Hodgkins  you'd 
give  him  time  on  that  loan  ?  " 

"  Well,"  said  Ward  sharply,  "  I  may  have  said  so  at 
the  moment,  but  there's  nothing  about  it  in  the  contract, 
and  it's  his  own  business  if  he's  disappointed.  He  ought 
to  have  known  what  he  was  doing." 

A  day  or  two  later,  Mrs.  Hodgkins  was  shocked  by  the 
appearance  of  an  officer  in  her  pretty  home,  who  pro- 
ceeded to  take  an  inventory  of  all  her  worldly  goods. 


174  WHICH  WINS 

Everything  in  the  house,  except  some  treasures  which 
she  managed  to  spirit  away,  received  his  mark,  and  he 
even  attempted  to  include  in  the  inventory  some  little 
articles  of  virtu  which  were  heirlooms,  and  had  belonged 
to  her  grandfather. 

Mrs.  Dysart  next  called,  and  informing  her  that  she 
heard  they  were  to  have  a  sale  of  their  household  goods, 
in  which  her  husband  was  interested,  walked  about,  ask- 
ing the  price  of  Mrs.  Hodgkins's  family  idols,  and  select- 
ing what  she  liked  best  of  the  contents  of  the  little  home. 

Mrs.  Hodgkins  watched  her  with  a  breaking  heart,  as 
she  went  through  the  rooms,  pausing  occasionally  to  ask 
how  much  was  paid  for  this  or  that,  and  always  finding 
fault  with  the  price. 

"  It  is  so  much  better  to  buy  such  things  at  sales  than 
at  first  hand,  Mrs.  Hodgkins,"  she  remarked,  instruc- 
tively pausing  before  an  artist  proof  etching  by  Peter 
Moran.  "  One  always  has  to  pay  an  exorbitant  price  to 
dealers,  and  it  is  really  extravagant." 

Poor  Mrs.  Hodgkins  reflected  that  she  would  rather 
pay  an  extravagant  price  than  feel  that  her  pictures 
were  framed  in  the  heart's  blood  of  others,  but  she  said 
nothing.  She  was  too  proud  to  contend  with  this  cold, 
haughty  woman,  and  she  showed  her  to  the  door  at  last 
without  having  wavered  an  instant  in  self-possession. 

As  the  days  went  on,  however,  and  she  saw  her  beauti- 
ful books  and  valuable  etchings  and  water  colors,  as  well 
as  the  pretty  furniture,  much  of  which  she  had  designed 
herself,  pass  into  the  hands  of  Ward  &  Dysart,  at  a 
price  which  did  not  pretend  to  cover  even  a  nominal 
value,  a  hard  and  bitter  feeling  grew  up  in  her  heart, 
and  she  could  not  but  say  that  there  was  something 
painfully  wrong  in  a  God  who  could  allow  men  like 
Ward  &  Dysart  to  stand  among  the  first  in  the 
community. 


JOHN'S  PROTEST  175 

"  They  have  just  stolen  our  beautiful  things ! "  she 
said  hotly  to  John,  when  he  called  to  see  them  in  the 
little  home  they  had  selected  on  the  outskirts  of 
the  town,  "  and  now  Mrs.  Dysart  parades  the  books 
which  her  husband  secured  at  an  Eastern  sale,  she  says, 
and  Mr.  Ward  puts  on  the  airs  of  a  connoisseur  while  he 
exhibits  our  fine  etchings  to  his  admiring  friends  !  " 

John  had  nothing  to  say.  He  knew  far  better  than 
Mrs.  Hodgkins,  how  the  greed  for  gain,  and  the  power  of 
their  wealth  had  eaten  the  conscience  out  of  these  men. 

Sometimes  he  could  not  keep  silent,  and  talked  to 
Ward  about  his  horror  of  such  methods  of  making  a 
fortune,  though  he  knew  that  expostulations  were  worse 
than  useless. 

"  Eeally,  Ward,"  he  said  one  evening,  "  your  business 
is  simply  terrible.  You  get  your  hands  into  a  man's 
pockets  and  take  all  he  has,  that's  what  it  amounts  to ! " 

"  Now,  Parsifal,  I  can  stand  a  good  deal  from  you,  but 
that's  going  too  far,"  replied  Ward.  "You  would  con- 
duct the  loan  business  on  the  plan  of  allowing  every 
possible  chance  to  the  debtor,  and  no  profits  to  the 
creditor,  but  I  don't  want  to  end  in  the  poorhouse  yet 
awhile." 

"  Did  you  ever  stop  to  put  yourself  in  the  place  of  one 
of  these  debtors  of  yours  ?  "  asked  John,  quietly. 

"No;  and  I  don't  want  to,"  was  the  reply.  "I'm  a 
little  too  sharp  to  be  taken  in  as  easily  as  they  are.  I 
think  if  a  man  hasn't  sense  enough  to  keep  his  money, 
he  ought  to  lose  it." 

"But  you  might  give  him  some  chance,"  said  John. 
"Your  circular  offers  help  to  the  farmer,  when  really 
you  spread  destruction  in  his  path." 

"Parsifal,"  exclaimed  Ward,  "you  ought  to  join  the 
Methodist  church,  and  start  out  as  an  evangelist.  Do 
you  seriously  think  it  is  possible  to  do  business  on  a 


176  WHICH  WINS 

paying  basis,  and  still  live  up  to  the  principles  of  the 
Golden  Rule  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  do,"  replied  John  with  decision.  "  I  think  it 
is  possible  to  make  a  living  in  that  way,  but  I  don't 
think  it  is  possible  to  pile  up  a  fortune  as  rapidly  as 
you  are  doing." 

"  You  think  I'm  not  honest  ?  "  asked  Ward. 

"  What  do  you  think  about  it  yourself  ?  "  was  the  reply. 

"  I  think,"  said  Ward,  "  that  as  long  as  I  do  business 
on  strictly  legitimate  principles,  no  one  has  a  right  to 
find  fault  with  me.  I  am  no  worse  than  my  neighbors, 
and  if  I  refused  to  take  advantage  of  the  means  they  use, 
I  should  play  a  losing  game." 

"  But  why  don't  you  go  into  some  other  business  ?  " 
asked  John,  with  a  feeling  of  positive  distress  at  his 
friend's  indifference. 

"  Well,  Parsifal,  you  don't  know  anything  about  the 
world.  If  you  won't  join  the  Methodist  church,  you  had 
better  go  into  a  monastery ;  in  fact,  that's  your  only 
safety,"  added  Ward,  spreading  out  his  coat  tails  to 
enjoy  the  fire  before  which  he  was  standing ;  "  for  even 
the  Salvation.  Army  recruits  go  in  for  making  money 
nowadays.  I  don't  know  a  business  of  any  kind  that 
doesn't  have  to  succeed  by  cutting  other  people's  throats. 
The  spirit  of  competition  demands  it,  and  competition  is 
the  life  of  progress,  so  I  don't  see  how  you  can  object  to 
it.  I'm  doing  no  more  harm  now  than  I  did  on  Wall 
Street,  than  the  board  of  trade  men  do,  who  speculate  in 
grain  and  meat,  or  any  of  these  big  trusts  like  the 
Standard  Oil,  which  must  succeed  by  starving  the  little 
fellows  out.  You  needn't  get  the  blues  over  me, 
Parsifal,"  and  Ward  took  up  the  evening  paper,  and 
threw  himself  into  an  easy-chair,  with  an  air  of  lamb- 
like innocence  and  self-satisfaction,  which  ought  to  have 
assured  his  friend  of  the  purity  of  his  intentions. 


WATSON  ARRIVES  IN  KANSAS  CITY  177 


CHAPTER   XX 

WATSON    ARRIVES    IN    KANSAS    CITY 

BUT  John's  thoughts  often  ran  on  in  lines  suggested 
by  such  talks  as  the  one  just  recorded,  and  brought  him 
to  conclusions  perhaps  more  sombre  than  he  would  have 
reached  through  colloquy  with  another.  The  atmosphere 
of  repression  in  which  he  lived,  and  which  forbade  his 
speaking  of  these  things,  drove  him  more  to  his  own 
thoughts,  and  his  fellow-clerks  sometimes  called  him 
morose  and  unsociable,  when  he  was  only  sickened  and 
discouraged  by  the  injustice  and  suffering  by  which  he 
was  surrounded. 

John  felt  each  month  that  he  received  his  salary  as  if 
he  were  becoming  a  partner  in  wickedness  by  accepting 
money  even  to  the  amount  of  his  meagre  wages,  coined 
as  it  was  from  the  tears  of  the  people.  He  was  poor 
and  unknown,  however,  and  nothing  else  seemed  open  to 
him,  and  so  he  struggled  on,  cheered  occasionally  by  a 
sight  of  Katherine,  and  laying  away  as  much  as  possible 
of  his  earnings  with  the  intention  of  sending  for  Watson 
and  his  family,  when,  one  day  as  he  was  walking  down 
Main  Street,  whom  should  he  see  but  Watson  himself. 
If  the  moon  had  fallen  from  the  sky,  John  could  hardly 
have  been  more  astonished. 

"  Why,  Watson !  "  he  cried,  almost  embracing  him  in 
his  delight,  "  where  in  the  world  did  you  drop  from  ?  " 

"From  the  prairies,  I  reckon,"  replied  Watson,  his 
mouth  distended  to  such  a  degree  with  smiles,  that  John 
caught  himself  wondering  whether  it  would  ever  come 
together  again. 


178  WHICH  WINS 

"  I  was  thinking  about  you,"  said  John,  "  and  wonder- 
ing how  soon  I  could  get  you  down  to  Kansas  City." 

"Wai,  ye  see,  I'm  here,"  replied  Watson.  "  Walk  out 
an'  see  Eose  an'  the  ole  woman,  won't  ye  ?  " 

"  But  how  did  you  come  ?  "  asked  John,  still  lost  in 
astonishment. 

"  Wai,  I  come  on  shank's  mare,  an'  the  mule  it  drug 
the  family ;  that's  about  the  size  on't,"  responded  Watson, 
chuckling.  "Arter  ye  left,  we  had  ter  git  out'n  that 
there  palatial  residence  we  okkypied,  an'  we  jist  con- 
cluded ez  long  ez  we  warn't  welcome  nowheres,  we'd  jist 
hitch  up  an'  come  to  Kansas  City." 

"  But  where  is  Maggie  ?  Did  she  come,  too  ?  "  asked 
John,  more  surprised  than  ever. 

"Wai,  that  ere's  wot  started  us  up,"  responded  Watson, 
who  seemed  to  be  in  perfectly  hilarious  spirits.  "  Maggie 
she  got  wind  of  a  typewritin'  job  down  here,  an  wor 
a  comin'  anyhow,  an'  she  got  here  two  days  ahead  o'  the 
fam'ly." 

"  And  where  is  she  now  ?  "  inquired  John. 

"  Oh,  she's  a-workin,"  replied  Watson,  with  great 
pride.  "  Mag's  a  grand  lady  these  days,  I  tell  ye,  type- 
writin' with  the  best  on  'em  ;  goin'  ter  board  with  her  old 
dad  and  help  out  though,"  he  added  with  evident  delight. 

By  this  time  they  had  reached  the  outskirts  of  the 
town,  and  leaving  the  street,  turned  into  an  open  space 
running  down  into  a  sort  of  hollow,  where  John  had 
often  seen  the  wagons  of  "  campers."  Here  the  Watson 
family  were  domiciled,  under  the  shelter  of  a  few  trees, 
the  remnants  of  a  forest  of  other  days.  Mrs.  Watson 
was  more  cadaverous  than  ever,  John  thought,  Eose  was 
as  fresh  and  sturdy  as  if  she  had  brought  with  her  a 
breath  from  the  Nebraska  prairies,  and  the  boys  rushed 
upon  John  as  if  they  would  devour  him. 

"It  must  be  nearly  six  o'clock,"  said  John,  noticing 


WATSON'S  CAMPING  EXPERIENCES  179 

that  Kose  had  made  a  fire  in  the  tiny  cook-stove  which 
came  in  the  wagon.  "  Have  you  had  supper  ?  " 

"  Wai,  we  ain't  got  much,  but  it's  fare  you're  used  to, 
Mr.  Thurston,"  said  Watson,  "  an'  ef  ye'll  set  down  an' 
eat,  we'll  take  it  as  a  great  favor." 

John  sent  one  of  the  small  boys  over  to  a  grocery 
near  by,  for  an  addition  to  their  supper  which  would 
make  it  a  feast  to  the  Watsons,  and  then  proceeded  to 
hear  his  old  friend's  account  of  their  journey. 

"  We've  had  enough  o'  country  monopoly  for  a  while, 
an'  now  I  reckon  we'll  try  town  monopoly,"  remarked 
Watson,  as  he  took  a  large  bite  of  the  first  white  bread 
and  butter  he  had  eaten  for  months,  "  an'  if  this 
here's  a  taste  on't,  I  vote  it  good,"  he  added  with  deep 
satisfaction. 

John  listened  with  interest  to  the  description  of  their 
journey,  and  the  hardships  they  had  passed  through,  and 
he  could  not  but  admire  the  sunny  spirit  with  which 
Watson  took  what  seemed  the  excessive  amount  of 
hardship  which  fell  to  his  share. 

"  About  ten  mile  from  here  the  wagon  bruk  down," 
said  Eose. 

"  An'  that  warn't  the  wust  on't,"  continued  Watson : 
"  dumped  mother  an'  the  baby  an'  the  bag  o'  corn  meal 
in  the  road." 

"  Yes,"  completed  Eose,  "  an'  landed  the  corn  meal  in 
a  mud  puddle." 

"  'Twer  pretty  blue  round  there  then,  sure  enough," 
continued  Watson ;  "  I  thought  we  was  plumb  busted, 
but  I  lowed  ef  wust  come  to  wust  I  could  walk  inter 
town,  an'  git  ye  to  help  us  out,  long  as  ye  was  that 
near." 

"  Well,  how  did  you  manage  ?  "  said  John,  glancing 
sympathetically  at  the  poor  mule  which  was  eating  some 
oats  of  John's  providing  with  a  weary,  pessimistic  air, 


180  WHICH  WINS 

indicating  that  from  the  experience  in  life  of  some 
people,  there  were  few  things  worth  looking  forward  to. 

"  There  wor  a  mighty  good-hearted  farmer  livin'  not 
fur  off,"  said  Watson,  "  an'  he  fixed  us  up  prime,  give  us 
a  new  axle  an'  a  hull  bag  o'  corn  meal,  said  'twer  a  drug 
in  the  market,  an'  he  couldn't  git  red  on't.  An'  so  here 
we  be,"  he  concluded. 

"  An'  I'm  thinkin'  I'd  like  ter  be  gittin'  a  roof  over 
my  head,"  remarked  Mrs.  Watson  with  her  characteristic 
intonation. 

"  Wai,  I  declar,  I  ben  turned  out'n  so  many  places,  I 
jist  don't  keer  whether  I  git  a  roof  on  me  or  not," 
exclaimed  Watson ;  "  I've  felt  more  to  hum  with  that 
there  wagon  an'  ole  mule  than  I  hev  sence  I  left  the 
farm,  an'  that's  the  truth  on't,  jist  cause  I  knowed  them 
an'  we  couldn't  be  parted;"  and  Watson  brushed  the 
crumbs  from  his  lap  as  if  he  believed  himself  brushing 
capitalists  into  eternity. 

"  I  don't  blame  you,  Watson,"  said  John ;  "  but  we'll 
get  a  house  all  the  same,  and  I'll  take  a  room  and  board 
with  you,  if  you'll  let  me." 

"  Wai  now,  mother,  wot  d'ye  think  o'  that  ? "  cried 
Watson  in  great  delight ;  "  d'ye  reckon  ye  kin  keep  house 
fur  Mr.  Thurston  ?  " 


KATilERINE  AND  HER  HUSBAND  181 


CHAPTER  XXI 

KATHEKINE    GETS    ACQUAINTED    WITH    HER   HUSBAND 

KATHEBINE  spoke  from  the  depths  of  a  bitter  experi- 
ence when  she  said,  "  the  world  looks  a  little  different 
after  one  is  married,"  an  experience  which  led  her  to 
know  sharply  and  suddenly  that  the  world  is  a  poor 
place  for  impractical  idealists,  and  demands  a  cool  head 
and  calculating  wits,  if  one  would  win  any  advantage 
in  it. 

These  two  possessions  had  never  been  Katherine's,  and 
she  had  not  seen  any  reason  to  crave  their  power,  or  in 
fact  strengthen  the  business  faculties  in  which  she  was 
naturally  by  no  means  lacking,  but  which  had  never  been 
fostered  by  her  circumstances.  Before  her  marriage  she 
had  given  her  financial  matters  trustfully  into  the  hands 
of  Ward,  without  any  thought  as  to  the  need  of  legal 
papers  between  people  who  were  to  be  united  forever. 
Before  her  marriage  Ward  paid  her  regularly  an  interest 
on  her  money  so  much  larger  than  she  had  received 
previously,  that  she  was  full  of  gratitude  to  him,  and 
rejoiced  in  the  thought  of  how  much  she  would  be  able 
to  do  for  her  mother  with  a  more  than  comfortable  pri- 
vate income.  She  felt  such  certainty  of  increased  pecu 
niary  ease  in  her  marriage,  that  she  was  more  reckless 
than  usual  in  the  expenditure  of  her  quarterly  allowance, 
and  when  the  clay  for  its  payment  came  around  again,  two 
months  after  her  marriage,  she  was  well-nigh  penniless. 
Ward  had  been  in  the  habit  of  sending  her  a  check  the 
evening  before  the  day  of  payment,  making  promptness 


182  WHICH  WINS 

in  this  respect  rather  a  matter  of  gallantry,  but  appar- 
ently he  had  grown  forgetful,  for  this  time  he  neglected 
it,  and  the  next  morning  Katherine  ventured  to  remind 
him  of  it,  reproaching  herself  for  the  shade  of  hesitancy 
she  felt  in  doing  so. 

"Why,  sure  enough,"  cried  Ward,  seemingly  in  much 
surprise,  "  I  had  forgotten  the  date." 

In  the  evening,  however,  he  said  nothing  about  the 
check ;  they  went  out  to  dinner,  and  Ward  was  more 
than  usually  gracious  and  loverlike,  so  that  the  matter 
escaped  Katherine's  attention.  In  the  morning  Ward 
hurried  off  before  she  had  time  to  speak  to  him,  and  in 
the  evening  he  did  not  bring  the  check,  and  Katherine 
could  not  help  feeling  a  trifle  annoyed. 

"  Stephen,"  she  said,  as  she  sat  down  to  the  piano  to 
play  a  little  for  him  after  dinner,  "  you  forgot  my  check 
again  this  evening." 

"  That's  so,"  he  said,  pushing  up  the  little  curls  which 
lay  upon  her  forehead.  "You're  not  out  of  money, 
are  you  ?  " 

"  What  has  that  to  do  with  it  ?  "  asked  Katherine, 
looking  up  at  him  in  astonishment.  "  The  interest  is 
due  to-day.  I  never  remember  your  asking  me  before 
whether  I  was  out  of  money." 

"Well,  no,"  replied  Ward  laughing;  "our  relations 
were  a  little  different,  but  at  present  I'm  rather  respon- 
sible for  you,  you  know.  I  can  let  you  have  some  money 
if  you  are  in  need,  and  your  credit  is  unlimited  all  over 
town,"  he  added,  handing  her  a  ten-dollar  bill. 

Katherine  put  the  offer  by  with  a  superb  gesture. 
"  Please  bring  the  money  up  to-morrow,"  she  said,  biting 
her  lip  and  repressing  her  vexation  at  Ward's  tone. 

He,  however,  seemed  a  trifle  annoyed,  and  when 
Katherine  had  finished  playing  he  said,  sitting  down 
beside  her,  — 


THE  HUSBAND  AND  THE  PUESE  183 

"Kate,  you  have  great  confidence  in  my  financial 
ability,  I  know." 

"  Of  course  I  have  great  confidence  in  you  in  every 
way,"  replied  Katherine,  laying  her  hand  affectionately 
upon  his,  for  she  was  determined  not  to  quarrel  about 
money  matters. 

"Well,"  he  went  on,  "this  investment  of  yours  isn't 
bringing  a  regular  income  at  present,  and  if  I  should  pay 
you  interest,  I  should  simply  take  it  from  my  own  funds, 
and  as  I'm  responsible  for  all  your  expenses  anyway,  I 
don't  care  to  do  that." 

It  seemed  to  Katherine  as  if  the  earth  were  whirling 
under  her  feet,  as  she  heard  Ward's  words  and  realized 
their  significance.  "  But,  Stephen,"  she  gasped,  "  haven't 
you  paid  me  the  interest  all  along,  and  aren't  things  just 
the  same  as  they  were  ?  " 

"  No,  they're  not,"  said  Ward  coolly,  and  he  might  have 
added,  "  you  are  my  wife  now,"  but  he  did  not.  "  I 
invested  a  portion  of  your  money  in  a  Nebraska  farm ; 
it's  a  magnificent  thing,  and  will  make*  you  six  or  seven 
times  what  you  put  into  it,  but  at  present  the  farm  is 
not  rented,  and  we  are  not  working  it,  so  there  is  no 
income." 

"  But,  Stephen  ! "  exclaimed  Katherine,  "  I  don't  know 
anything  about  such  things ;  I  only  know  this :  I  gave 
you  my  money  to  invest  as  you  saw  fit,  and  you  were  to 
pay  me  interest  on  it.  It  seems  to  me  very  unjust  for 
you  to  refuse  me  the  interest  just  because  I  am  your 
wife." 

"  Now,  Katherine,  don't  begin  to  talk  nonsense ! " 
exclaimed  Ward,  growing  angry,  "  and  don't  try  to  argue, 
for  you  can't  do  it.  If  I  give  you  this  money,  you  will 
simply  throw  it  into  the  street,  and  I  am  going  to  take 
a  little  care  of  you.  I  don't  want  to  have  you  a  candi- 
date for  the  poorhouse." 


184  WHICH  WINS 

"  I  have  never  been  in  the  habit  of  throwing  my  money 
into  the  street,  Stephen,"  said  Katherine,  deeply  hurt, 
"and  you  have  no  reason  to  accuse  me  of  inability  to 
take  care  of  money." 

"  Don't  you  suppose  I  can  see  how  extravagant  you  are 
in  everything ?"  cried  Ward  angrily:  "you're  extrava- 
gant in  dress,  extravagant  in  housekeeping ;  you  would 
give  all  you  had  to  beggars ;  your  mother  has  said  over 
and  over  again  that  you  had  no  sense  about  business." 

Katherine  could  hardly  believe  her  ears.  She  rose 
quietly,  too  angry  to  speak,  and  left  the  room.  What 
her  thoughts  were  it  would  be  impossible  to  express,  but 
many  a  woman  who  has  been  educated  in  all  the  tradi- 
tions of  nineteenth  century  freedom,  and  who  for  the 
first  time  hears  a  tone  in  her  husband's  voice  which 
makes  her  realize  that  her  condition  as  a  wife  is  one  of 
gilded  slavery,  will  need  no  explanation  of  her  mood. 
She  was  practical  enough  to  review  her  position 
accurately,  and  strong  enough  to  feel  that  she  would  not 
bear  it.  But  first  in  order  to  leave  her  conscience  free, 
she  determined  to  remonstrate  with  her  husband. 
Perhaps  if  he  saw  how  far-seeing  and  economical  her 
intentions  were,  he  would  deal  justly  with  her ;  perhaps 
he  really  did  not  understand  her  capacity  to  manage  her 
own  affairs. 

Katherine  said  this  to  herself  hopelessly,  for  in  reality 
the  conversation  which  had  just  passed  had  brought  into 
consciousness  a  distrust  of  her  husband  which  had 
always  been  unacknowledged  in  her  mind,  and  which 
only  her  mother's  influence  had  kept  her  from  realizing 
with  its  full  significance. 

She  sat  late  that  night  by  the  fire  in  her  dressing-room, 
while  the  various  episodes  of  her  acquaintance  with 
Ward,  and  then  of  her  married  life  passed  in  an  endless 
panorama  before  her  mind's  eye.  In  the  ceaseless  stream 


WAKD'S  THEORIES  IN  PRACTICE  185 

nothing  seemed  positive  except  her  husband's  exceeding 
injustice  to  her,  and  this  she  could  not  understand. 

She  knew  nothing  about  the  legal  standing  of  women, 
or  what  her  rights  were  as  a  married  woman,  and  her 
ideas  of  what  wives  should  expect  from  their  husbands 
were  purely  ideal  and  imaginary ;  but  her  whole  soul 
rebelled  against  the  tone  of  cool  proprietorship  in  which 
her  husband  had  spoken  to  her,  and  his  absolute  negation 
of  her  rights. 

She  felt  that  whatever  were  her  legal  rights  as  a 
wife,  her  moral  rights  as  a  human  being  had  been  out- 
raged, and  she  would  not  rest  until  she  was  sure  that 
she  had  not  misunderstood  her  husband.  She  concluded 
to  wait  until  the  next  evening  to  speak  to  him,  so  that 
she  would  be  sure  of  herself,  and  he  would  have  time  to 
recover  his  temper ;  so  at  the  appointed  time  she  dressed 
herself  in  one  of  her  pretty  gowns,  and  went  to  meet 
him.  Ward,  concluding  that  it  was  worth  while  to  do 
a  little  coaxing  under  the  circumstances,  had  brought  her 
some  flowers,  and  he  put  them  into  her  hand,  saying,  — 

"Well,  sweetheart,  has  your  financial  panic  dis- 
appeared ?  " 

Katherine  looked  at  him  wondering.  Could  he  believe 
that  the  cause  of  her  trouble  was  so  slight  as  to  be  put 
away  with  a  few  hours'  pouting  ? 

"  I  think  perhaps  we  didn't  understand  each  other, 
Stephen,"  she  said  gently,  "  and  we  had  better  talk 
matters  over  in  detail." 

"  Oh,  bother  ! "  exclaimed  Ward ;  "  talking  over  never 
does  any  good,  Katherine.  I  get  mad  and  you  pout ;  and 
what  does  it  amount  to  ?  Just  let  the  matter  rest,  and 
allow  me  to  look  after  your  money  matters." 

"  I'm  perfectly  willing  to  trust  you,  Stephen,"  replied 
Katherine,  "  but  I  don't  want  to  assume  the  position 
of  a  pauper  in  your  house,  and  I  should  feel  like  one, 


186  WHICH  WINS 

if  you  spoke  to  me  often  in  the  way  you  did  last 
night." 

"  Oh,  nonsense,  Katherine  ! "  cried  Ward  a  little 
roughly ;  "  it's  a  great  idea  if  a  man's  to  be  held  responsi- 
ble for  the  exact  tone  he  uses  toward  his  wife.  I  was  a 
little  out  of  temper  last  night,  and  I  suppose  I  wasn't 
as  conventionally  polite  as  I  should  have  been ;  but  let's 
go  to  dinner." 

"Well,  Stephen,"  said  Katherine,  detaining  him  by 
a  gentle  touch  of  the  hand  upon  his  arm,  and  forcing 
him  to  walk  up  and  down  the  long  drawing-room  with 
her,  —  she  remembered  what  pride  he  had  taken  in  fitting 
it  up  for  her,  and  how  careful  he  had  been  to  consult  her 
taste  in  every  particular,  —  "I  want  to  explain  to  you  my 
ideas  in  regard  to  the  disposition  of  my  income,  and 
show  you  how  far  from  extravagant  I  am.  The  interest 
you  paid  me  on  my  money  was  so  much  larger  than  what 
I  received  before,  that  I  thought  even  if  I  didn't  give 
any  lessons,  the  half  of  it  would  suffice  for  my  dress 
and  spending  money,  as  I  don't  pay  board  in  my  hus- 
band's home,"  she  added,  pressing  his  arm  with  a  little 
laugh,  and  burying  her  face  for  a  moment  in  her  flowers. 
"  So  my  plan  was  to  send  my  mother  half  of  my  income ; 
you  know  we  have  always  lived  together  and  shared  our 
means,  and  I  shouldn't  want  her  to  be  any  poorer  from 
my  marriage  "  —  Katherine  paused  suddenly,  surprised 
by  the  expression  on  Ward's  face. 

"  And  you  say  you're  not  extravagant !  "  he  exclaimed 
in  a  loud  tone.  "  Hasn't  your  mother  means  of  her 
own  ?  " 

"  Only  a  very  small  income,  Stephen  ;  not  enough  to 
live  on  comfortably,"  said  Katherine,  shocked  at  his 
excitement. 

"  Well,  I  want  you  to  understand  once  for  all,  that  I 
am  not  in  a  financial  condition  to  allow  of  your  giving 


KATHERINE'S  SPIRIT  RISES  187 

your  mother  that  amount  a  year,  do  you  understand  ?  " 
He  added,  "  I  won't  have  it,  and  that's  all  there  is 
about  it.  If  you  want  to  give  her  ten  dollars  a  month, 
I've  nothing  to  say,  though  that's  an  exorbitant  sum. 
I'll  see  that  you  don't  throw  money  away.  You  think 
you've  married  a  rich  man  and  you  can  have  all  you 
want,  but  I  can  tell  you  there's  a  limit  to  extravagance, 
and  you'll  have  to  find  it  out ! "  and  Ward  stalked  out  of 
the  room,  leaving  his  wife  standing  in  the  middle  of  the 
floor  in  a  state  of  unutterable  amazement. 

What  had  she  done  to  call  up  such  an  outburst  ? 
What  extravagance  had  she  been  guilty  of,  that  she 
should  be  spoken  to  in  terms  of  that  sort  when  she  had 
merely  demanded  her  just  rights  ?  Katherine  went 
up-stairs  in  a  mood  so  bewildered  that  it  took  some  time 
for  her  anger  to  rise  to  the  height  which  the  occasion 
justified. 

"  I  will  go  to  a  lawyer  to-morrow  and  find  out  what  I 
can  do,"  she  said  to  herself ;  "  and  whatever  comes  of  it, 
I  know  that  I  can  earn  my  living ;  "  and  she  looked  at 
her  pretty  white  hands  with  a  very  comfortable  sense  of 
their  ability  to  take  care  of  her. 

Her  visit  to  the  lawyer,  however,  was  anything  but 
reassuring.  He  shook  his  head  as  he  learned  how  she 
had  given  her  husband  a  power  of  attorney,  and  knew 
absolutely  nothing  of  how  he  had  invested  her  money, 
and  she  could  see  that  he  had  the  smallest  possible 
respect  for  her  capacity. 

"  Never  intrust  a  penny  to  any  one,  Mrs.  Ward,  with- 
out taking  the  person's  note  for  it  with  good  security," 
he  said  solemnly,  "  or,  at  least,  a  receipt  to  show  where 
the  money  has  gone." 

"  And  I  can  do  nothing  to  recover  my  money  ?  "  said 
Katherine. 

The  lawyer  shook  his  head.     "  But  even  if  you  could, 


188  WHICH  WINS 

Mrs.  Ward,  you  would  not  institute  legal  proceedings 
against  your  husband,  surely,"  he  said  with  a  smile. 

"  Well,  why  not,  I  should  like  to  know  ? "  asked 
Katherine,  who  felt  equal  to  anything. 

"Why,  Mrs.  Ward,  I  always  deprecate  anything  of 
that  sort  between  husband  and  wife,"  said  Mr.  Rhines 
prudently.  "  Your  husband  loves  you ;  in  so  close  a  union 
financial  matters  should  not  play  a  great  part,  surely," 
he  added,  rubbing  his  hands  and  smiling  upon  the  beau- 
tiful creature  before  him  in  a  way  which  filled  her  with 
indignation. 

"  So  I  thought  exactly,"  she  cried,  "  and  I  never 
dreamed  of  the  need  of  legal  precautions  between  us ; 
but  I  consider  that  if  my  husband  cheats  his  own  wife,  he 
is  much  more  of  a  dastard  than  if  he  cheats  a  stranger." 

"0  Mrs.  Ward!"  cried  Mr.  Ehines,  lifting  up  his 
hands  in  horror,  "  I  am  sure  your  husband  has  no  such 
idea  at  all.  He  merely  wishes  you  to  trust  your  affairs 
in  his  hands,  and  he  will  provide  for  you  generously, 
rest  assured." 

"  I  don't  want  him  to  provide  for  me  ! "  cried  Kather- 
ine indignantly,  "and  there's  no  reason  why  he  should. 
I  simply  want  the  money  which  belongs  to  me  and  I 
would  not  ask  him  fora  penny  besides.  Now  tell  me, 
Mr.  Rhines,"  she  added,  "  what  right  have  I  to  my  hus- 
band's estate.  I  want  to  know  what  the  laws  think  of 
womankind ; "  and  Katherine  tapped  her  foot  impa- 
tiently on  the  floor,  while  she  awaited  the  slow  reply  of 
the  conservative  old  lawyer. 

"The  law  is  very  careful  of  women,  Mrs.  Ward," 
replied  Mr.  Rhines.  "  The  law  regards  her  as  a  precious 
treasure,  which  is  to  be  protected  and  provided  for. 
The  law  requires  that  your  husband  care  for  you  and 
pay  your  debts  while  he  lives,  and  it  gives  you  the 
income  of  a  third  of  his  property  after  his  death." 


KATHERINE  ASKS  QUESTIONS  189 

"  The  income  of  a  third,"  repeated  Katherine  slowly. 
"  I  don't  understand  that  exactly." 

"The  law  is  very  solicitous  to  protect  the  rights  of 
the  weak  and  incapable,"  said  Mr.  Rhines  slowly,  "so  it 
only  gives  a  wife  the  income  of  property,  because  she 
is  usually  unfitted  to  understand  business  matters,  and 
will  generally  lose  money,  if  it  is  left  to  her  sole  con- 
trol ;  but  the  law  is  very  careful  of  her  dower  rights." 

"  Then  I  never  will  own  any  of  my  husband's  prop- 
erty :  is  that  what  you  mean  ? "  asked  Katherine, 
flushing. 

The  lawyer  reflected  that  this  beautiful  woman  might 
be  something  of  a  termagant,  but  he  bowed  graciously, 
and  she  went  on. 

"  Supposing  I  should  have  children  ?  " 

"  They  of  course  inherit  equal  shares  of  the 
property  exclusive  of  the  dower  of  the  mother,  which 
reverts  to  them  at  her  death,"  replied  the  lawyer ;  "  but 
if  they  should  be  idiots,"  he  added  hesitatingly,  "the 
law  protects  them  as  it  does  the  mother." 

Katherine's  cheeks  flushed  a  very  deep  red,  as  she 
made  the  application,  which  the  old  lawyer  was  careful 
not  to  notice.  "  I  suppose  I  should  have  the  same  legal 
right  to  my  children  as  my  husband,"  she  said 
hesitatingly. 

"No,  my  dear  madame,  you  would  not,"  replied  Mr. 
Rhines.  "  The  law  regards  the  husband  as  the  protec- 
tor and  guardian  of  his  family,  their  bulwark  against 
poverty  and  wrong,  and  it  therefore  gives  him  exclusive 
control  over  his  wife  and  children  "  — 

"  And  he  could  take  them  from  her  ? "  gasped 
Katherine. 

"  The  law  gives  him  a  power  to  do  as  he  will  with  his 
own,  satisfied  that  he  will  not  exercise  his  rights 
unjustly,"  replied  the  old  lawyer,  evidently  fearful  that 


190  WHICH  WINS 

this  independent  young  woman  might  put  a  wrong  con- 
struction on  the  dignity  and  rightfulness  of  established 
law. 

"  And  women  actually  have  children  ! "  cried  Kather- 
ine.  "  I  will  never  be  a  mother,  Mr.  Rhines,  until  the 
laws  are  changed ! " 

"In  the  case  of  —  of  —  illegitimate  children,"  said  Mr. 
Rhines  hesitatingly,  "the  right  of  the  mother  is  of 
course  undisputed  "  — 

"  Rather  an  odd  way  to  encourage  marriage,  it  seems 
to  me,"  interrupted  Katherine. 

"There  are  four  States  already  where  you  might 
venture,  Mrs.  Ward,"  continued  the  old  lawyer,  rubbing 
his  hands.  "In  Kansas,  Nebraska,  Wyoming  and 
Washington,  women  and  men  have  equal  rights  in 
property  and  equal  control  over  the  children  of  whom 
they  are  parents.  Persuade  Mr.  Ward  to  move  into  any 
of  these  States,  and  you  will  be  perfectly  safe,  though 
I  am  sure,  my  dear  madame,  he  added,  "  that  Missouri 
would  look  after  your  interests  equally  as  well.  A 
woman  can  hardly  have  a  better  protector  than  her 
husband  in  any  case." 

"  I  suppose  you  would  consider  me  an  illustration  of 
that,  Mr.  Rhines,"  said  Katherine  smiling  sarcastically ; 
"  but  be  sure  of  one  thing  —  I  would  like  a  little  legal 
protection,  and  I  begin  to  understand  why  some  friends 
of  mine  are  so  strenuous  on  the  subject  of  woman 
suffrage.  You  wouldn't  like  to  think  you  had  made  me 
a  suffragist,  would  you  ?  " 

"  I  am  sure  you  are  not  that,  Mrs.  Ward ! "  cried  the 
old  lawyer,  holding  up  his  hands  in  horrified  depreca- 
tion of  such  a  sentiment.  "A  woman  so  young  and 
beautiful  as  yourself  surely  "  — 

('  Never  mind  about  that,"  said  Katherine,  smiling  a 
little  bitterly;  "I  have  wrongs,  you  know,  and  that 


KATHERINE  GROWS  RADICAL  191 

makes  one  eager  for  rights  sometimes ;  "  and  Katherine 
said  good-by,  feeling  that  she  had  learned  enough  to 
keep  her  thinking  of  womanhood  for  many  months. 

Her  own  experience  made  her  very  curious  in  regard 
to  other  women,  and  she  determined  to  satisfy  herself, 
without  betraying  her  personal  woes,  as  to  the  marital 
status  of  most  of  her  friends. 

Her  investigations  were  pursued  with  great  care,  but 
led  to  most  heart-rending  revelations,  for  she  made  up 
her  mind  that  the  real  standing  of  women  and  their 
influence  in  the  family  was  much  lower  than  their  social 
influence  would  lead  one  to  think.  And  she  attributed 
it  largely  to  the  fact  of  their  financial  and  legal  depen- 
dence, though  she  acknowledged  that  the  men  of  her 
acquaintance  were  much  less  free  from  hereditary  taint 
in  regard  to  their  treatment  of  women  than  she  would 
have  considered  possible. 

"  Their  great,  great,  twenty-seventh  great  grandfathers 
were  accustomed  to  treat  women  as  slaves,"  she 
reflected,  "and  they  fall  into  the  inherited  tone  in 
addressing  their  wives,  without  knowing  it.  And  I 
begin  to  see  why  the  wives  endure  it,"  she  added,  "  for 
I  stand  it,  though  I  don't  consent  to  be  as  helpless  as 
some  of  them  are." 

"But,  0  Katherine!"  she  added,  "what  a  radical 
you  are  getting  to  be  !  and  what  would  your  mother  say, 
if  she  knew  you  believed  in  woman's  suffrage  ! " 

Katherine's  opinions  were  growing  very  bitter  on  the 
subject  of  woman's  rights  and  position,  and  yet  she  had 
done  nothing  desperate  to  assert  her  own.  She  felt 
keenly  the  delicacy  of  her  position,  —  every  woman  does 
who  is  so  circumstanced,  —  and  while  her  first  impulse 
was  to  leave  her  husband's  roof  and  take  steps  to  recover 
her  fortune,  she  realized  the  scandal  which  such  an  action 
would  cause,  and  determined  to  wait  a  little  and  see  if 


192  WHICH  WINS 

she  could  not  influence  Stephen  to  treat  her  more 
justly. 

Ward,  meanwhile,  took  such  action  as  a  tacit  admis- 
sion that  he  had  conquered,  and  while  he  was  careful 
not  to  irritate  Katherine  too  far,  he  let  her  see  plainly 
how  dependent  he  considered  her,  and  felicitated  him- 
self more  and  more  upon  the  results  of  his  discipline. 
He  was  as  fond  of  his  wife  as  he  could  be  of  any  one 
outside  of  himself,  but  he  knew  how  talented  she  was, 
and  was  haunted  by  a  fear  lest  she  might  excel  him  — 
or  rather  win  more  esteem  from  others.  As  long  as  the 
talents  remained  simply  an  ornament  to  his  home,  he 
felt  that  they  added  to  his  own  glory,  but  he  was  unwill- 
ing to  have  them  make  a  stir  outside  of  the  magic 
domestic  circle  he  had  created  for  them. 

Thus,  the  quieter  Katherine  became,  the  less  she 
seemed  to  care  for  the  activities  of  independent  action, 
the  happier  Ward  was,  and  it  never  occurred  to  him 
that  there  was  anything  selfish  in  thus  restraining  and 
choking  down  the  life  of  another  human  being.  He 
regarded  certain  things  as  fitting  Katherine's  womanly 
sphere,  especially  her  sphere  as  his  wife,  and  he  would  have 
opened  his  eyes  in  amazement,  if  any  one  had  suggested 
to  him  that  he  had  no  business  to  regulate  or  mark  out 
her  sphere  of  action.  Was  she  not  his  wife,  and  were 
not  man  and  wife  one  ?  Ward,  as  a  matter  of  course, 
constituting  the  "  one  "  in  this  case. 

Katherine,  meanwhile,  was  losing  color  and  spirits  in 
this  narrow  and  uncongenial  home  atmosphere,  and, 
when  she  first  met  Thurston,  was  fast  slipping  into  a 
dead  and  fruitless  mood,  where  any  action  or  struggle 
seemed  hardly  worth  the  effort.  Something  in  John's 
fearless  and  eager  spirit  infected  her :  she  began  to  think 
instinctively  of  breaking  her  bonds,  and  ventured  into 
several  "  freaks "  of  independence  which  astonished 


KATHERINE'S  NEW  INCENTIVE  193 

Ward,  and,  if  he  had  suspected  their  cause,  would  have 
made  him  inclined  to  forbid  John  the  house.  This  odd 
"  Parsifal,"  who  seemed  to  be  governed  by  principles  so 
different  from  those  of  most  of  the  world,  and  who 
with  nothing  to  live  for  apparently  made  life  worth 
living,  interested  Katherine,  and  she  who  had  never 
before  felt  a  controlling  interest  outside  of  herself  and 
her  music,  looked  for  John's  coming,  thought  of  him, 
and  queried  what  his  opinions  on  various  questions 
would  be,  not  at  all  from  any  sentimental  attraction,  but 
because  he  inspired  her,  and  made  her  remember  that 
there  were  vital  interests  in  the  world  beyond  her 
elegantly  furnished  home,  her  moneyed  husband,  and  her 
personal  troubles. 


194  WHICH  WINS 


CHAPTER   XXII 

ROSE    AS    A    HOUSEKEEPER 

JOHN,  meanwhile,  had  found  a  pleasant  little  cottage 
on  the  outskirts  of  town  for  the  Watsons,  and  had 
domiciled  himself  with  them,  feeling  that  there  was  no 
one  in  the  world  at  present  with  whom  his  lot  seemed 
more  definitely  cast.  He  had  found  work  for  Watson, 
Maggie  was  "  typewritin',"  and,  though  her  salary  was 
small,  it  made  considerable  difference  in  the  family 
income.  Kose  was  housekeeper  and  went  to  night 
school  industriously ;  and  Watson  began  to  feel  as  if  he 
might  be  proud  of  his  family  some  day,  and  was  sure  at 
any  rate  that  he  had  "  mighty  enterprisin'  gals." 

Watson's  work  consisted  in  the  janitorship  of  several 
buildings,  in  one  of  which  Ward  had  his  office,  so  that 
Watson  spent  most  of  his  time  in  the  atmosphere  of  bonds 
and  money  which  John  breathed.  But  for  some  months, 
John  noticed,  the  tragic  side  of  it  did  not  affect  Watson. 
He  was  so  happy  in  the  sudden  and  unexpected  prosper- 
ity of  himself  and  the  children,  that  he  lost  his  interest 
for  a  while  in  the  rest  of  the  world. 

The  Watsons  could  not  have  been  any  happier,  John 
thought,  if  they  had  fallen  heir  to  a  million  dollars. 
The  fact  that  they  could  pay  their  rent  and  buy  the 
absolute  necessaries  of  life  was  so  unparalleled  in  their 
experience,  that  it  almost  upset  their  equilibrium. 

Mrs.  Watson  was  entirely  dismayed  when  confronted 
with  the  prospect  of  having  a  boarder.  She  who  had 
lived  on  corn  bread  and  potatoes  so  long  that  she  had 
almost  forgotten  the  possibility  of  eating  anything  else, 


KOSE  BUYS  A  COOK-BOOK  195 

how  was  she  to  cook  ordinary  edibles  ?  She  absolutely 
broke  down  and  wept  at  the  prospect. 

"Ye  allays  wor  the  onpraktiklest  man  Watson,  an' 
now  to  think  o'  axin'  me  to  bile  coffee,  an'  cook  steak, 
an'  make  pies  fur  a  'ristocrat  like  Mr.  Thurston,  when  ye 
know  all  I've  ben  through,  it's  jist  more'n  I  kin  bar ! " 
and  Mrs.  Watson  sobbed  reproachfully,  hugging  her 
youngest  born  to  her  breast  meanwhile,  as  if  she  still 
felt  the  chill  blast  of  the  Nebraska  prairies. 

"Wai,  now,  maw,"  said  Watson,  in  deep  discourage- 
ment, "  I  don't  see  wot  we're  goin'  ter  do ;  we  can't  turn 
Mr.  Thurston  off,  arter  he's  been  so  good  to  us  all  along." 

"  Oh,  no,  I  reckon  not,"  replied  his  wife,  with  a  fresh 
access  of  misery,  "an'  I  s'pose  I'll  jist  hev  to  bone  down 
an'  larn  to  cook  over  agin,  though  suff'rin'  ez  I  do  with 
narves  an'  sich,  I  reckon  it'll  kill  me  dead." 

"But,  maw,"  began  Watson,  hesitating,  "seems  like 
it's  sich  a  comfort  ter  git  somethin'  ter  put  inter  yer 
stummick,  ye'd  be  glad  ter  larn  ter  cook  it." 

"  Oh,  yes,  ye  kin  talk,"  cried  Mrs.  Watson  mournfully ; 
"  yer  stummick  allays  war  the  biggest  part  on  ye,  Watson ; 
but  me  that  can't  digest  a  tenpenny-nail,  wot  comfort  kin 
I  get  out'n  beefsteak  an'  biled  duinplin's,  I'd  like  ter 
know." 

Watson  had  a  vivid  recollection  of  the  amount  of  those 
edibles  his  suffering  wife  had  been  able  to  put  away  the 
night  before,  but  he  wisely  said  nothing,  and  concluded 
to  consult  Eose  about  his  difficulties.  That  strong- 
minded  young  woman  laughed  him  to  scorn. 

"  Don't  you  worry  'bout  the  cookin',  dad.  I'm  that  glad 
to  hev  the  chance  o'  cookin',  I  donno  wot  to  do ;  an'  you 
jist  git  me  a  first-class  cook-book.  We  ain't  got  much,  to 
be  sure,  but  I'll  spread  it  out,  an'  make  it  go  ez  fur  ez 
it  will." 

So  Kose  luxuriated  in  her  cook-book,  and  by  special 


196  WHICH  WINS 

permission  of  Mrs.  "Ward  received  some  lessons  from 
that  lady's  cook,  as  to  the  deeper  mysteries  which  she 
could  not  comprehend  alone. 

Those  visits  to  Mrs.  Ward  were  like  glimpses  of  fairy 
land  to  Rose,  who  had  never  seen  anything  finer  than 
the  Thurston  farmhouse,  and  their  own  new  home,  which 
seemed  a  palace  to  her  in  comparison  with  the  shanties 
they  had  occupied  in  Nebraska.  The  sight  of  the 
dining-table,  spread  with  its  white  cloth,  and  glittering 
with  all  the  dainty  beauty  of  a  tasteful  table  service, 
was  a  revelation  to  her,  and  she  became  fired  with  ambi- 
tion to  imitate  these  splendors  in  a  modest  way,  not  only 
for  the  satisfaction  of  her  own  housewifely  pride,  but 
because  she  felt  they  would  add  so  much  to  the  comfort 
of  her  "  boarder." 

"Ye  see,  Mis  Ward,"  she  said,  "Mr.  Thurston  he  be 
used  to  livin'  like  you,  an'  I  don't  see  how  he  kin  stand 
us  rough  folks,  reely ;  but  I  reckon  it's  cause  he's  so 
smart,"  she  added.  "  I  allays  did  think  paw  were  the 
smartest  thing  on  airth,  but  he  do  go  clean  past  him, 
'cept  in  cipherin'.  Paw  he  kin  beat  a  most  any  one 
cipherin' ; "  and  Rose  paused  suddenly,  speechless  with 
admiration  over  an  embroidered  lunch  cloth,  which  had 
been  one  of  Mrs.  Ward's  wedding-gifts. 

"  How  is  it  that  Mr.  Thurston  is  smart  ? "  asked 
Katherine,  willing  to  draw  Rose  on  a  little. 

"  Oh,  he  knows  a  most  everything,"  replied  Rose  : 
"hist'ry,  an'  po'try,  an'  drops  o'  water,  an'  'lectricity. 
He's  rigged  up  a  little  machine  in  the  house,  an'  him  an' 
Tom's  a-studyin'  telegraphin',  an'  he  gimme  a  little  his- 
t'ry book  to  study,  an'  he  tells  lots  that  ain't  in  the 
book,  an'  a  heap  nicer." 

"  And  are  you  all  fond  of  him  ?  "  asked  Katherine, 
glancing  at  the  blooming  sixteen-year-old  girl  before  her 
with  a  curious  query  in  her  mind. 


A  TABLE-CLOTH  AND  NAPKINS  197 

"  I  reckon  we  air;  we  couldn't  help  it  nohow,"  responded 
Rose,  looking  up  with  a  deeper  flush  on  her  face,  "he  air 
that  good,"  she  concluded  simply. 

Katherine  gazed  over  and  through  her  guest  for  a 
moment,  lost  in  thought. 

"  It  would  be  just  like  his  quixotism,"  she  reflected, 
"to  marry  this  pretty,  ignorant  creature,  if  he  thought 
she  had  fallen  in  love  with  him.  I  wonder  if  she  has  ?  " 

The  next  step,  of  course,  in  Katherine's  thought,  was 
that  she  must  help  the  pretty  creature  to  unfold  as 
quickly  as  possible,  though  the  consequences  of  that 
problematical  spiritual  development  might  be  such  that 
she  was  conscious  of  an  odd  contraction  of  the  heart  in 
fancying  them. 

"I'll  tell  you  what  I'll  do,  Rose,"  she  said ;  "you  see  I 
have  such  an  amount  of  table  linen.  I'll  give  you  a 
couple  of  tablecloths,  and  two  dozen  napkins,  and  you 
can  pay  me  for  them  by  hemming  some  new  ones  that  I 
have.  Then  you  can  be  splendid  every  day,  if  you  wish, 
or  save  your  elegance  for  Sunday." 

"0,  Mis  Ward!"  cried  Rose.  "You're  too  good! 
I'll  put  'em  on  every  day,  an'  teach  the  young  uns  to 
use  their  napkins  right  smart,  I  tell  ye  ! "  and  Rose  went 
home  overwhelmed  with  the  magnificence  into  which  the 
family  were  about  to  blossom. 

What  joy  filled  her  heart  as  she  spread  the  table  for 
supper  that  night!  joy  which  remained  undiminished 
even  under  the  wet  blanket  of  a  maternal  criticism  that 
never  ceased  during  a  moment  of  her  preparations. 

"  The  idee  of  usin'  them  fine  things  every  day  ! "  cried 
Mrs.  Watson,  almost  in  tears.  "How'll  ye  git  'em 
washed,  I'd  like  ter  know ;  ye'll  be  axin'  me  to  wash  'em 
next,  I  s'pose ;  but  I  can't  do  it,  I  tell  ye.  My  back's  most 
in  two  now,  'thout  thinkin'  o'  stannin'  over  the  washtub 
two  hours  !  That  there's  wot  comes  o'  hevin'  boarders  ! " 


198  WHICH  WINS 

she  added,  in  a  pathetic  aside.  "  I  tell  ye  the  Lord  he 
don't  believe  in  puttin'  on  airs,  an'  the  fust  thing  ye 
know  we'll  be  back  to  corn  bread  an'  taters,  all  along  o' 
them  white  things  ! " 

"  Now,  maw,  don't  ye  go  to  worryin'  yerself  sick 
about  my  notions!"  cried  Hose,  laughing.  "The  idee 
o'  your  washin'  'em  !  ye'd  rense  'em  in  tears,  I  reckon ! " 

"  Oh,  yes,  ye  kin  laugh  ! "  exclaimed  poor  Mrs.  "Watson, 
"  but  ye  may  hev  cause  ter  cry  agin,  puttin'  on  all  that 
style,  I  tell  ye.  Ther's  sich  a  thing  ez  puttin'  on  too 
much  style.  An'  usin'  them  things  every  day,  an' 
washin'  'em,  an'  usin'  'em,  they'll  be  wore  out  fust  thing 
ye  know,  an'  then  wot'll  ye  do  ?  " 

"Well,  mother,  go  to  prayin'  'bout  'em,  an'  that'll 
bring  more,  I  reckon,"  replied  Rose,  undiscouraged ; 
"  the  Lord  he  wants  us  to  be  decent,  or  he  wouldn't  have 
sent  'em,  I'm  thinkin'.  There's  dad !  "  she  exclaimed 
with  energy.  "  I  jist  wonder  what  he'll  say  ! " 

"  Wai,  I  do  declar' ! "  remarked  Watson,  as  he  entered. 
"  Whar  d'ye  git  all  that  finery,  Rose  ?  It  do  look  like 
Mis  Ward's  table,  I  guess.  Why,  Rose,  we're  gittin' 
stuck  up,  ain't  we  ?  I  tell  you  I  feel  so  big  nowadays, 
I  donno  which  end  I'm  stannin'  on  half  the  time." 

"  Yes,  paw,  ain't  it  fine  "  cried  Rose  in  great  delight, 
"  an'  I've  got  two  cloths,  an'  we'll  use  'em  all  the  time ; 
an',  paw,  dumplin's  fur  supper,  an'  jist  ez  light  ez  a 
feather ! " 

As  she  spoke,  Rose  dished  up  the  dumplings,  and 
Watson  sat  down  to  the  table  in  an  ecstasy.  He  had 
never  had  any  experience  of  the  good  things  of  life 
until  recently,  and  his  enjoyment  of  them  was  so  intense 
that  John  never  wearied  of  watching  him.  "Rose's 
cookin',"  Maggie's  "  typewriting"  the  "  young  uns " 
school,  and  the  phenomenal  amount  and  quality  of  the 
"cipherin"'  they  did  there,  altogether  filled  his  cup  so 


WATSON  AS  A  FRIEND  IN  NEED  199 

full  that  it  seemed  as  if  he  could  not  ask  for  another 
drop  of  bliss ;  and  John  was  almost  irritated  sometimes 
by  the  completeness  of  his  satisfaction,  forgetting  that 
the  sunny  temper  which  had  always  insisted  upon  get- 
ting the  best  out  of  his  barren  existence  had  never 
seized  any  real  enjoyment  before. 

"Father,"  said  Maggie,  after  the  supper  was  cleared 
away,  and  they  were  gathered  in  the  little  sitting-room, 
"  it  seems  kind  of  mean  for  me  to  be  having  such  a 
good  time  "  —  Maggie  was  getting  exceedingly  careful 
of  her  English  —  "  and  not  doin'  nothin'  —  anything,  I 
mean,  —  for  Marie  Leif ert." 

"  That's  so,"  said  Watson  sympathetically,  looking  up 
from  the  slate  upon  which  he  was  assisting  the 
"  cipherin' "  of  his  youngest  son.  "  Marie's  a  mighty 
fine  gal,  an'  we  oughtn't  ter  forgit  our  ole  friends  in  the 
sun  o'  prosperity  ; "  and  Watson  looked  around  the  cir- 
cle with  a  smile  so  broad  and  benignant,  that  his  wife 
heaved  a  sigh  of  preternatural  solemnity  from  pure 
sympathy. 

"  Where  is  Marie  ?  "  asked  John,  who  was  lingering 
among  the  cheery  group,  though  he  was  conscious  of  a 
new  book  waiting  for  him  up-stairs. 

"  Wai,  ye  see,"  said  Watson,  "  Marie's  amazin'  ambi- 
tious gal,  but  she  ain't  never  had  no  chance ;  an'  with 
all  her  tryin'  she  ain't  gradivated  yet  from  the  stand  o' 
hired  help.  Ye  see,"  continued  Watson,  with  proud 
explanatoriness,  "  Mag  hed  a  start  afore  she  left  hum, 
fur  ef  I  do  say  it  myself,  I've  eddicated  my  young  uns 
ez  fur  ez  writin'  an'  cipherin'  goes ;  an'  Mag  took  to 
book-keepin'  an'  sich,  nateral.  But  Marie,  she  never 
hed  no  chance  at  all,  an'  she's  longer  gittin'  round  ;  but 
she's  that  ambitious  nothin'  won't  kill  her  off,"  he  con- 
cluded. 

"  Suppose  we  ask  Mrs.  Ward  to  take  her,"  suggested 


200  WHICH  WINS 

John  thoughtfully.  "  She  would  be  interested  in  her,  I 
know,  and  she  wants  a  sort  of  upper  housemaid.  I  heard 
her  say  so.  Marie  could  go  to  night-school  with  Eose ; 
and  we  could  all  do  something  for  her,"  he  added. 

Watson  slapped  his  knee  enthusiastically.  "Ye  set 
right  down  an'  write  her  this  minnit,  Mag !  "  he  cried. 
"  I  ben  a-worryin'  'bout  her  a  good  deal  lately,  an'  that'll 
fix  her  right  up ! " 

So  it  happened  that  Marie  became  an  inmate  of 
Katherine's  family,  and  one  whose  influence  was  not 
small  upon  her  mistress'  destiny;  for  the  spectacle  of 
Marie's  struggle  with  adverse  circumstances,  and  her 
unconquerable  determination  to  win  a  place  for  herself 
among  the  world's  workers,  made  Katherine  ashamed 
of  her  own  weakness  of  spirit,  and  reminded  her  that 
she  too  had  talents  given  her,  and  a  battle  to  fight  for 
their  rightful  exercise. 

"  Shall  I  give  up  and  be  made  a  doll  of,  for  one  man's 
gratification  ?  "  she  said  to  herself  when  she  saw  Marie 
hurrying  through  her  tasks  that  she  might  find  a  moment 
for  the  arithmetic  which  seemed  nothing  but  a  series  of 
hard  puzzles  to  her.  "  No !  I'll  show  him  that  I'm  a 
human  being  and  a  thinking  woman  as  well  as  his  wife." 


WATSON  AND  THE  NEW  PARTY  201 


CHAPTER   XXIII 

WATSON    AND    THE   NEW    PARTY 

JOHN  came  home  one  night  and  found  Watson's  mood 
sadly  changed.  "  I'd  a  mos'  forgot,"  he  said,  "  wot  a 
onlucky  cuss  I  allays  wor.  Ben  that  prosperous  lately, 
I  ain't  thought  nothin'  'bout  them  ten  thousand  infants 
that  dies  o'  starvation  every  year  in  New- York  City." 

"  I've  noticed  you  didn't  seem  to  be  so  strong  as  usual 
on  the  social  question,"  replied  John  ;  "  but  what  brought 
it  up  again  ?  " 

"I  never  reely  understood  afore  how  them  millionnaires 
kin  be  so  rich  an'  onfeelin',"  responded  Watson  thought- 
fully ;  "but  sense  I  ben  so  myself,  I  seem  ter  know  more 
about  it.  Ye  see,  if  b'iled  dumplin's  an'  a  table-cloth 
reg'lar  could  make  a  man  forgitful,  it  stands  to  reason 
the  'feet  o'  champagne  and  turkey  'd  be  a  darned  sight 
wuss,  hey  ?  " 

"  Well,  what  made  you  think  of  all  these  things  ?  " 
asked  John  interested. 

"  Ye  see,"  said  Watson,  "  I  come  across  some  o'  these 
yer  Labor  Union  men  lately  ;  mighty  smart  fellers  they 
is,  too,  I  tell  ye,  an'  they're  a'  agitatin'  like  everything. 
Then  a  man  was  after  me  to-day  to  jine  the  Knights  o' 
Labor.  I've  heerd  tell  on  'em  afore,  but  I  never  'tended 
none  o'  their  meetin's.  I  reckon  I'll  jine  'em  all,"  he 
added. 

"I'd  like  to  go  with  you  to  the  meetings  sometime, 
Watson,"  said  John  thoughtfully. 

"  Wai,  it's  my  'pinion  ye'd  better  jine  yerself,"  re- 
plied Watson.  "  I  ben  round  to  'em  all,  an'  I  reckon  the 


202  WHICH  WINS 

world's  about  ez  bad  off  ez  it  kin  git,  ef  long  Watson 
hev  got  his  stummick  full,  an'  it's  the  born  duty  o'  sech 
fellers  ez  you  be  to  go  inter  politics,  Thurston  ! " 

John  laughed.  "  Why,  Watson,  what  would  be  the 
use  of  my  going  into  politics  ?  "  he  asked,  much  amused. 
"  I  couldn't  represent  the  interests  of  anything  or  any- 
body." 

"That's  jist  the  kind  o'  fellers  that's  needed  ter  go  in, 
I  reckon,"  replied  Watson ;  "  fellers  ez  kin  represent  the 
intrusts  o'  the  hull  world  onprejudiced-like.  I  war  a- 
talkin'  with  a  carpenter  wot's  been  a-workin'  on  one  o' 
the  buildin's  I  hev  the  keer  on,  an'  he'd  like  ter  hev  ye 
come  round  ter  the  Labor  Union  meetin'  Friday  night. 
He  says  the  bottom  o'  this  here  business  ain't  the  tariff 
folks  talks  so  much  about ;  it  goes  a  sight  deeper'n  that, 
an'  I  reckon  he's  right." 

"What  does  he  think  is  the  trouble?"  asked  John, 
wondering  how  far  Watson  had  gone  into  Labor  Union 
politics. 

"  He  says  as  how  they's  a'  awful  need  o'  co-operation 
in  this  world.  They's  too  much  o'  the  every-feller-fur- 
hisself  business.  The  laborin'  men's  ben  a-tryin'  to 
co-operate  'mongst  theirselves,  an'  the  capitalists  hez  co- 
operated so  well  to  theirselves  that  the  laborin'  man 
ain't  got  no  show  at  all,  an'  he  thinks  as  how  suthin's 
got  to  bring  around  a  sort  o'  general  co-operation,  so's 
the  laboring  man  kin  hev  a  little  say  'bout  how  much  he 
makes  an'  how  long  he  works." 

"  I'm  afraid  that'll  be  a  long  time  coming,  Watson," 
said  John  sadly ;  "  everything  seems  going  the  other  way 
at  present." 

"I  donno  whether  'tis  or  not,"  replied  Watson,  with 
the  same  eager  glow  in  his  eyes  that  John  used  to  see 
when  he  talked  about  land  monopoly,  or  transportation 
on  the  farm.  "  Ye  go  to  these  yere  labor  meetin's,  an' 


WATSON  MAKES  A  SUGGESTION  203 

ye'll  think  there's  somethin'  brewin',  sure  enuff ;  an'  if 
yere  in  sympathy  with  the  brewin',  it's  yer  duty  to  go, 
accordin'  ter  my  notion.  Ye  ain't  no  business  to  stand 
back  an'  sulk  by  yerself  when  ye  might  help  ter  right 
the  thing  yer  sulkin'  about.  Ye've  got  idees,  an'  ye  kin 
make  a  speech,  an'  I  say  go  in  an'  do  yer  best,  an'  Wat- 
son'll  back  ye  up  every  time." 

John  was  silent  a  moment.  Watson's  talk  had  sug- 
gested a  new  train  of  thought,  and  it  promised  to  run  on 
to  such  indefinite  lengths  that  he  hardly  knew  what 
would  come  of  it.  The  ideas  of  his  younger  days  came 
surging  up  into  his  mind  again  :  what  was  there  absurd 
in  the  notions  of  fraternity  and  brotherly  love  anyway  ? 
Was  it  not  possible  to  awaken  humanity  to  a  sense  of 
their  truth  and  value  ?  Watson's  words  started  him 
from  his  revery  again. 

"  That  there  idee  o'  co-operation's  a  mighty  good  un," 
he  said,  "  an'  I  see  a  woman  to-day  that  needed  suthin' 
o'  that  sort  bad.  She  wor  a-lookin'  fur  you,  but  not 
findin'  the  right  feller  she  jist  poured  out  ter  me.  She 
wor  that  full,  she  would  'a'  emptied  to  most  anybody,  I 
guess." 

"  Who  was  it  ?  "  asked  John  in  surprise.  "  I  don't  see 
who  could  have  wanted  to  tell  me  her  troubles." 

"  Wai,  she  did,"  continued  Watson ;  "  'twere  that  ere 
boardin'-house  keeper  where  ye  put  up  afore  ye  come  to 
live  with  us.  She's  a-goin'  ter  be  sold  out,  an'  she  thought 
ye  might  do  somethin'  fur  her." 

"  Me  ?  "  cried  John  in  dismay,  with  a  painful  conscious- 
ness of  the  slenderness  of  his  bank  account.  "What 
could  I  do  for  her  ?  " 

"  Wai,  she  thought  ye  war  a  relative  o'  that  skinflint 
friend  o'  yourn,  Mr.  Stephen  Ward,  an'  might  inter  — 
somethin'  —  cede,  I  believe.  He's  goin'  ter  sell  her 
out." 


204  WHICH  WINS 

"  You  don't  say  so ! "  exclaimed  John.  "  How  did  she 
get  into  his  power  ?  " 

"Yes,  how  do  they  all?"  asked  Watson,  glaring  at 
the  opposite  wall  as  if  he  would  annihilate  space  and 
capitalists  with  it.  "  That's  wot  I'd  like  ter  know.  She 
furnished  a  house  last  fall,  an'  borried  the  money  o'  the 
firm  to  do  it  with.  She's  paid  that  all  up  but  fifty  dol- 
lars, but  she's  behind  with  her  rent,  an'  the  houses  she's 
in  hev  fell  inter  the  claws  o'  that  same  party,  an'  her 
boarders  is  slim,  an'  they're  jist  a-goin'  ter  sell  her  out 
in  everything.  It's  business  ye  know,"  added  Watson, 
rising  and  walking  across  the  floor  with  such  a  perfect 
imitation  of  the  strut  and  gesture  which  had  become 
habitual  with  Ward,  that  John  laughed  in  spite  of  him- 
self. "  Darned  ef  I  don't  think  this  here  business  gits 
called  in  to  excuse  the  onhumanest  things,"  he  continued 
fiercely.  "  They  call  it  business  when  they  take  all  a 
pore  widder's  got,  an'  business  when  they  turns  a  farmer 
outn  his  home,  an'  business  when  they  holds  all  the  flour 
in  the  market  till  it  goes  up  two  or  three  dollars  a  bar'l, 
an'  takes  the  bread  outn  the  mouths  o'  thousands  o' 
women  an'  children ;  an'  then  when  a  man  holds  ye  up 
goin'  home,  an'  makes  ye  give  him  five  dollars,  they  call 
it  thievin',  an'  ef  ye  slips  inter  his  house  o'  nights  an' 
gits  his  watch  an'  dimonds,  they  calls  it  burglary,  an' 
both  on  'em  means  state  prison.  An'  I'd  like  ter  ax  any 
thinkin'  man,  ef  the  fust  ain't  a  million  times  wuss'n  the 
last,  an'  don't  do  a  million  times  ez  much  damage.  But 
wot  does  yer  broker  and  capitalist  git  ?  ye  pats  him  on 
the  back,  an'  compliments  him  fur  his  business  sagacity, 
an'  marries  him  to  yer  darter,  ef  she's  fool  enough  ter  be 
sold ! "  concluded  Watson  so  bitterly  that  John  looked 
at  him  in  surprise,  wondering  how  much  of  the  inner 
working  of  the  Ward  household  he  had  surmised. 

"  That's  all  sadly  true,  Watson,"  assented  John,  "  and 


WATSON'S  POLITICS  205 

the  queer  part  of  it  is,  that  more  people  don't  see  it- 
Do  you  suppose  anybody  can  think  of  it  without  seeing 
it  ?  I  should  say  no,  as  a  matter  of  course,  if  I  hadn't 
talked  to  Mr.  Ward  often  enough  to  know  that  men  of 
his  class  don't  look  at  the  question  as  we  do  at  all.  They 
consider  it  absolutely  impossible  to  do  business  on  a 
basis  of  strict  morality,  and  evade  the  fact  of  their  own 
deviation  from  honesty  every  time." 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Ward  don't  see  it,"  admitted  Watson ;  "  but 
ye  kin  bet  yer  life  most  folks  would  see  it  ef  ye  put  it  to 
'em.  The  trouble  is,  they  don't  never  think  o'  nothin'  o' 
the  sort.  Things  hez  got  to  sech  a  pass  that  'tain't  pos- 
sible fur  a  reel  high-minded  feller  ter  make  it  go  in 
business,  nor  politics  neither,  an'  folks  don't  know  it." 

"  Watson,"  said  John  after  a  moment,  "  suppose  there 
was  a  new  party  in  politics ;  would  it  succeed,  do  you 
think  ?  " 

"  D'ye  mean  stid  o'  these  yere  republicans  an'  dimmy- 
crats  ?  "  asked  Watson  hesitatingly. 

"  Yes,  of  course ;  a  party  that  would  represent  new 
issues,  and  present  new  truths  and  ideas  to  the  people," 
explained  John.  "  Do  you  suppose  it  would  have  any 
chance  ?  " 

"  Why,  in  course  it  would ! "  exclaimed  Watson,  rising 
in  considerable  excitement  as  John's  meaning  dawned 
upon  him.  "  Didn't  the  abolitionists  succeed  ?  They 
wan't  no  republicans  till  the  abolitionists  made  a  new 
party,  wor  there  ?  A  party's  got  ter  succeed  when  it 
says  what's  gospel  true ;  the  people  makes  it." 

"  It  seems  to  me,"  said  John,  "  that  such  a  party  will 
have  to  be  formed,  and  I  suppose  it  will  grow  out  of  a 
combination  of  these  various  unions  for  the  agitation  of 
the  social  question.  The  trouble  is,  the  agitation  has 
been  mostly  restricted  to  a  certain  class.  But  form  a 
people's  party,  and  preach  the  people's  rights  to  the 


206  WHICH  WINS 

exclusion  of  all  class  prejudice,  and  it  looks  as  if  it 
would  take  the  country  by  storm.  It  would  open  peo- 
ple's eyes  to  the  real  state  of  abuses,  the  existence  of 
which  they  have  tolerated  so  long  simply  because  they 
were  riot  conscious  of  them.  With  enlightenment, 
they  would  rise  and  sweep  them,  off  the  face  of  the 
earth ! " 

John  stood  up  in  his  excitement,  and  walked  back  and 
forth  in  the  little  room,  his  eyes  shining  and  his  face 
aglow  with  the  transfusing  fire  of  his  own  enthusiasm. 

"  Ye've  hit  it ! "  cried  Watson,  bringing  his  chair  down 
with  a  thump  which  meant  volumes.  "Ye've  hit  the 
nail  plumb  on  its  darned  head  this  time,  sure  ez  yer 
born  !  an'  the  next  thing  is  ter  do  it,"  he  added,  putting 
his  hands  in  his  pockets  once  more,  and  tipping  his 
chair  back  against  the  wall  for  the  purpose  of  more 
unfettered  meditation. 

Watson  frequently  explained  the  value  of  this  atti- 
tude in  thinking  out  difficult  problems :  "  Ef  ye  want 
ter  let  yer  'magination  fly,  git  red  o'  yer  legs  ez  fur  ez 
ye  kin,  fur  the  less  underpinnin'  ye  hev,  the  more  over- 
pinnin'  ye'll  git.  I've  heerd  tell  on  a  saint  wot  stood  on 
one  leg  fur  thirty  year,"  he  would  conclude,  "  an'  I  jist 
reckon  he  done  it  'cause  he  knowed  he  wor  one  leg 
nigher  heaven,  ez  long  ez  he  could  hold  out." 

"I'm  not  good  at  organizing,"  said  John,  "and  I 
shouldn't  know  how  to  go  to  work  to  start  such  a  party. 
I  suppose  it  could  be  done  here  through  the  Labor  Union 
element,  by  taking  a  nomination  from  that  party  and 
preaching  the  broader  platform,"  he  added ;  "  but  with 
the  country  at  large  it  would  have  to  be  organized  upon 
an  independent  basis.  As  long  as  our  political  machinery 
is  what  it  is,"  he  continued  thoughtfully,  "  it  would  have 
to  be  used  at  first  for  the  purposes  of  the  new  party,  but 
once  fairly  started,  there  is  no  telling  where  it  would 


MRS.   WATSON  INTERFERES  207 

end ; "  and  John  rose  and  paced  slowly  back  and  forth, 
full  of  his  new  thought. 

"  'Twouldn't  stop  nowhers,"  said  Watson,  feeling  ap- 
parently as  if  his  chair  had  deserted  him,  and  he  was 
floating  off  into  space  with  the  universe  before  him. 
"  Git  the  people  banded  together  to  do  good,  an'  d'ye 
think  they'd  be  any  stoppin'  'em?  They'd  red  up  this 
yer  planet  of  ourn  that  clean  the  Devil  wouldn't  hev  no 
place  ter  stay,  an'  fellers  like  Ward  there,  they'd  feel  so 
lonesome  they'd  cut  their  throats  to  git  in  more  conge- 
nial company  !  Talk  'bout  the  millennium,"  cried  Wat- 
son, "  why,  'twould  be  down  here  so  fast  ye  couldn't  see 
straight ! " 

"  Watson ! "  cried  a  quavering  voice  at  that  moment 
from  the  head  of  the  stairs,  "  Watson !  d'ye  know  wot 
time  it  is  ?  it's  most  twelve,  an'  they  ain't  no  sense  in 
burnin'  coal  oil  fur  nothin',  accordin'  to  my  notion,  when 
it  costs  fifteen  cents  a  gallon  ! " 

Watson  brought  his  chair  slowly  and  carefully  down 
on  its  four  legs  once  more. 

"Thar's  some  folks,"  he  remarked  explanatorily  to 
John,  "wot  can't  stand  no  good-luck.  Jist  ez  long  ez 
we  was  down  in  the  mouth  an'  hed  a  most  nothin'  ter 
eat,  Mary  Jane  wor  the  patientest  critter  livin',  but  now 
that  we're  jist  bustin'  with  prosperity,  she's  a  cussin' 
the  hull  time,  and  don't  want  none  on  us  to  take  a  grain 
o'  comfort.  Talkiii'  'bout  co-operatin'  now,"  he  continued 
argumentatively,  "  I  reckon  thar's  some  folks  ye'd  hev 
to  chop  em  up  to  git  it  inter  'em." 

John  smiled  as  he  said  good-night,  and  went  up  to  his 
little  room. 

"Poor  Mrs.  Watson,"  he  thought,  "  she  isn't  so  singular 
as  her  husband  thinks.  The  pig  in  us  doesn't  generally 
develop  until  we  see  ourselves  in  the  midst  of  luxury, 
and  then  the  fear  lest  some  one  else  should  get  more  than 


208  WHICH  WINS 

we,  makes  us  oblivious  to  the  needs  of  all  the  rest  in 
grasping  at  the  good  things.  And  yet  we  only  need  to 
grow  one  degree  finer  to  realize  how  unsatisfactory  such 
selfish  enjoyment  is,"  he  added,  thinking  of  Watson  and 
his  rejoicing  over  the  comforts  of  those  about  him,  and 
his  constant  solicitude  for  their  troubles. 

"  After  all,  the  poor  woman  is  only  a  sort  of  caricature 
of  Ward  and  people  of  his  ilk,"  he  reflected  as  he  turned 
out  his  light :  "  he  tyrannizes  over  his  wife,  and  is  in  con- 
stant fear  that  people  will  fail  to  appreciate  his  powers 
in  some  way.  It's  a  pity  when  we  refine  it  all  down, 
how  many  of  us  want  to  be  the  last  man  and  claim  the 
world." 


THE  DICTUM  OF  A  CAPITALIST  209 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

THE    DICTUM    OF    A    CAPITALIST 

SOME  months  after  the  above  conversation,  John  was 
once  more  spending  the  evening  with  the  Wards.  Dur- 
ing the  intervening  time,  he  and  Watson  had  become 
well  acquainted  with  the  various  labor  organizations  of 
the  city,  and  John's  political  theories  had  taken  such 
definite  shape  that  the  Labor  Union  men  were  talking 
of  getting  up  a  people's  ticket  for  the  approaching  elec- 
tion, upon  which  John  was  to  be  a  candidate  for  alder- 
man. Ward  was  also  indulging  in  visions  of  political 
activity.  He  expected  to  receive  the  nomination  for 
mayor  from  the  Democratic  convention,  and  already  felt 
as  if  the  mantle  of  municipal  dignity  had  fallen  upon 
his  shoulders. 

It  was  natural  then  that  the  conversation  should  turn 
upon  social  and  municipal  matters.  John  could  not 
entirely  repress  his  humanitarian  enthusiasm  even  in 
Ward's  presence,  and  the  latter  had  no  hesitation  in 
expressing  opinions  upon  all  subjects  to  John,  for  his 
friend  of  former  years  had  grown  to  be  more  and  more 
a  moneyless  dependent,  who,  though  he  might  profess 
various  cranky  notions,  nevertheless  must  practically 
yield  to  the  dictum  of  his  superior  authority,  and  was 
therefore  safe  from  the  temptations  of  real  rebellion. 
He  could  not  comprehend  that  John's  feelings  upon  the 
question  of  social  rights  and  wrongs  were  of  vital 
strength,  and  if  his  expressions  grew  too  strong,  usually 
turned  the  conversation  abruptly,  or  dismissed  the  sub- 
ject with  a  contemptuous  gibe.  His  tone,  in  fact,  was 


210  WHICH   WINS 

frequently  intolerable,  but  John  bore  it  without  open 
resentment  on  account  of  Katherine,  for  his  interest  in 
her  and  in  her  problematic  future  had  grown  so  deep, 
that  he  felt  he  could  not  bear  to  be  cut  off  entirely  from 
companionship  with  her,  and  their  occasional  meetings, 
either  walking  or  at  the  house,  made  the  one  bright  spot 
which  cheered  his  otherwise  solitary  and  joyless  exist- 
ence. 

Upon  this  occasion  Katherine  had  been  tempted  by 
John's  presence  into  relating  one  of  her  charitable  ex- 
periences, about  which  she  usually  said  nothing  to  Ward, 
for  such  revelations  often  led  to  a  series  of  unpleasant 
remarks  on  his  part,  in  regard  to  her  talent  for  sowing 
his  money  upon  the  highways,  the  advisability  of  turn- 
ing the  drawing-room  into  an  infirmary  for  decrepit 
beggars,  etc.  The  present  case  was  an  aggravated  type 
of  the  traditional  poor  woman,  with  a  large  family  and  a 
sick  husband ;  and  Ward,  feeling  that  he  ought  to  appear 
to  John  in  the  light  of  a  philanthropist,  loftily  com- 
mended his  wife's  charity,  though  he  added  that  he 
hoped  she  knew  where  to  draw  the  line,  and  not  be 
imposed  upon.  , 

"I  suppose  you  regard  that  remark  as  very  selfish, 
Parsifal,"  he  added,  turning  to  John,  "  for  you  think  I 
could  just  as  well  take  the  entire  family  permanently 
under  my  wing ;  but  you  are  about  as  impractically  gen- 
erous as  Mrs.  Ward.  A  business  man  has  to  look  after 
the  odds  and  ends  if  he  wants  to  keep  his  head  above 
water." 

"  I  know  you  see  no  injustice  in  these  inequalities  of 
fortune,  Ward,  so  of  course  you  can't  look  at  them  as  I 
do,"  replied  John. 

"Injustice!"  exclaimed  Ward  contemptuously.  "As 
a  general  thing  the  station  fits  the  incumbent  pretty  well. 
What  qualifications  has  the  woman  we  have  been  talking 


THE   CHARITY  OF  THE  RICH  211 

about,  for  instance,  for  a  higher  lot  ?  A  large  income 
would  ruin  her :  she  would  run  into  the  most  senseless 
extravagances,  as  people  invariably  do  who  are  not 
accustomed  to  money,"  he  added,  with  a  side-glance  at 
his  wife ;  "  and  she  would  have  an  unpardonable  case  of 
big  head." 

"Do  you  know/'  said  John  thoughtfully,  "nothing 
seems  to  me  so  unaccountable  as  the  prevailing  indiffer- 
ence of  the  rich  to  the  sufferings  of  the  poor.  In  this 
nineteenth  century,  when  we  have  broadened  and  refined 
in  so  many  directions,  we  haven't  gotten  beyond  the 
twelfth  century  in  brotherly  love." 

"  How  is  that  ?  "  asked  Katherine,  smiling.  "  I  didn't 
suppose  they  exercised  much  brotherly  love  in  the 
twelfth  century." 

"  They  didn't ;  that's  just  the  point,"  said  John.  "  I 
was  reading  a  little  stanza  the  other  day  by  Bertrand  de 
Born,  the  troubadour  friend  of  Queen  Eleanor  and  Prince 
Henry,  you  know,  and  in  it  he  speaks  most  cruelly 'of 
the  lower  classes :  calls  them  nothing  but  beasts,  and 
says  that  if  a  lord  knows  that  a  peasant  has  accumulated 
a  sum  of  money,  his  only  safe  course  is  to  take  it  from 
him,  adding  that  he  would  be  only  too  happy  to  see  every 
peasant  in  the  land  turned  out  in  the  rain  without  a 
penny  in  his  pocket.  It  seems  to  me  that  is  only  a 
rather  bald  statement  of  the  feeling  of  the  majority  of 
our  own  better  classes  toward  the  poor  :  'They're  beasts ; 
they  deserve  all  they  suffer  and  more  too  ! ' " 

"  Well,  Parsifal,  that  sounds  rather  bald,  as  you  say  ; 
but  I  suppose  there's  a  good  deal  of  truth  in  it  now  as 
there  was  in  the  twelfth  century,"  commented  Ward 
easily,  holding  up  his  hand  to  the  light  that  he  might 
study  to  better  effect  the  iridescence  of  the  large  opal 
upon  his  finger.  "  The  lower  classes  are  dangerous ;  they 
need  to  be  kept  down.  The  safety  of  society  demands  it, 


212  WHICH  WINS 

and  their  own  low  development  prevents  them  from 
appreciating  any  of  the  pleasures  which  money  and  a 
refined  taste  make  possible,  so  that  they  would  only 
destroy  themselves  and  the  world  by  opportunities  which 
must  lead  them  into  excess." 

"  You  do  well  to  say  money  and  refined  taste,  Ward," 
exclaimed  John  with  considerable  bitterness,  "  for  I  fail 
to  see  that  most  of  our  upper  classes  to-day  do  more 
than  enjoy  their  money  in  exceedingly  gross  fashion. 
To  my  mind  it  is  coarse  to  be  gluttonous,  whether  the 
bill  of  fare  is  champagne  and  pate  de  foie  gras,  or  pork 
and  beans,  and  sensual  indulgence  is  more  criminal  when 
it  is  carried  on  in  palaces  than  in  hovels.  But  that  isn't 
the  question,"  he  added :  "  what  right  have  you  to  indulge 
yourself,  and  then  forbid  any  other  man  to  do  so,  I 
should  like  to  know.  How  can  you  rich  fellows  impose  a 
morality  upon  the  lower  classes  that  you  do  not  follow, 
do  not  even  pretend  to  believe  in  ?  " 

"Oh,  well  now,  John,  you're  absurd!"  exclaimed 
Ward,  feeling  the  conversation  a  trifle  too  serious  for 
his  taste;  "you  know  there  never  was  an  outbreak  of 
the  lower  classes  that  was  not  followed  by  the  most  atro- 
cious results.  Look  at  the  French  Kevolution." 

"  I  suppose  you  think,"  said  John,  "  that  if  Louis  and 
Marie  Antoinette  could  have  gone  on  playing  with  the 
hearts  of  their  subjects  forever,  without  any  open  mur- 
ders, it  would  have  been  all  right,  but  the  guillotine, 
which  made  the  horror  manifest,  must  not  be  tolerated. 
I  can  tell  you  that  if  the  co-operative  measures  of  the 
Paris  commune  could  have  been  developed  and  formed 
the  ruling  spirit  of  the  revolutionaries,  all  those  horrors 
might  have  been  avoided,  and  the  France  of  to-day 
would  be  a  peaceful  and  flourishing  community  on  a 
secure  footing.  The  fact  is,  the  one  experiment  in  gov- 
ernment which  has  never  been  tried  seems  to  me  the 


THE   BLINDNESS   OF   CONVENTIONALITY       213 

right  one,  and  that  is  a  government  which  regards  all 
men  simply  as  souls,  aside  from  any  outward  differences 
of  wealth  and  social  standing,  and  assures  absolute  jus- 
tice and  equal  opportunities  to  all.  We  have  always 
had  governments  where  prejudices  and  partisanship 
were  the  ruling  powers,  and  therefore  we  cannot  tell  at 
all  what  human  nature  would  be,  if  it  were  given  a 
chance  to  develop  unrestrainedly  in  the  right  direction." 
"  It  is  very  curious,  as  you  say,  Parsifal,"  said  Kath- 
erine,  who  was  very  fond  of  giving  her  friend  this  nick- 
name, which  she  thought  fitted  him  exceedingly  well, 
"to  notice  how  invariably  people  are  governed  by  preju- 
dice. For  instance,  one  of  my  friends  was  laughing 
with  me  the  other  day,  over  the  preference  of  her  son,  a 
boy  of  fifteen,  for  a  school  friend  who  was  the  daughter 
of  a  saloon-keeper.  She  regarded  his  attitude  in  the 
matter  as  displaying  an  amusing  amount  of  naivete,  and 
did  not  seem  to  perceive  his  instinctive  nobility.  Here 
is  the  conversation.  '  Charles  thinks  she's  all  right,'  said 
the  mother,  *  and  he  can't  see  why  I  shouldn't.  "  Why, 
mamma,"  he  says,  "she's  a  perfect  lady  and  an  excellent 
scholar,  besides,  they  live  in  a  nice  house,  and  she's  just 
as  well  bred  as  anybody,  so  why  shouldn't  I  like  her  ?  " 
—  "Well,  Charles,"  I  said,  "you  know  very  well  that  in 
the  East  I've  not  been  in  the  habit  of  associating  with 
saloon-keepers  and  such  people,  and  you  know  I've  only 
been  West  a  year ;  perhaps  in  time  I  may  get  rid  of  my 
prejudices;  but  you  really  mustn't  expect  it  of  me  yet." 
He  thought  I  was  awfully  sarcastic,  but  then  what  could 
I  do  ?  you  must  give  a  boy  some  idea  of  the  proprieties 
of  life.'  My  sympathies,"  added  Katherine,  "were  en- 
tirely with  the  boy,  but  then,  as  his  mother  remarked, 
what  could  I  do  ?  I  felt  that  she  wouldn't  understand 
my  tolerance  of  the  saloon-keeper's  daughter,  and  so  said 
nothing." 


214  WHICH  WINS 

"  Well,  I  am  glad  to  find  you  have  a  little  sense,  Kath- 
erine," cried  Ward  explosively.  "  Your  friend  was  per- 
fectly correct.  Society  demands  that  we  respect  the  con- 
venances, and  if  you  receive  the  saloon-keeper's  daughter 
simply  because  she  is  pretty  and  well  bred,  where  will 
you  draw  the  line,  I  should  like  to  know  ?  "  and  Ward 
rose  and  walked  back  and  forth  in  the  long  drawing- 
room  a  few  times,  endeavoring  to  repress  an  inclination 
to  turn  John  out  of  doors  with  what  he  termed  his  anar- 
chical ideas,  and  send  Katherine  severely  up-stairs. 

"But  think  what  a  magnificent  institution  society 
would  be  if  it  were  organized  upon  a  basis  of  mutual 
love  and  co-operation,  Stephen,"  ventured  Katherine 
mischievously.  "If  I  patronized  the  young  girl  in  ques- 
tion, for  instance,  because  she  was  a  saloon-keeper's 
daughter,  and  I  knew  therefore  that  in  spite  of  her 
natural  delicacy  she  would  need  help  to  rise  out  of  the 
somewhat  coarsening  atmosphere  of  her  surroundings, 
and  if  you  used  your  means  always  as  an  assistance  to 
those  who  were  in  financial  difficulties,  why,  that  would 
be  the  millennium,"  cried  Katherine  in  ecstasy. 

"  And  don't  you  think,  Ward,  that  after  nineteen  cen- 
turies of  Christianity  we  ought  to  begin  to  treat  our 
neighbors  somewhere  near  as  we  would  like  to  be  treated 
ourselves  ?  "  asked  John  with  some  hesitation.  "  I  don't 
suppose  it  occurs  to  us  that  to  be  governed  in  such  cases 
strictly  according  to  the  golden  rule  is  alone  sanctioned 
by  morality.  The  outside  and  conventional  circum- 
stances are  never  essential,  and  should  not  be  the  ruling 
ones,  but  we  make  them  so  always." 

Ward  made  no  response  to  this  last  "ebullition,"  as 
he  secretly  termed  it.  He  was  thinking  to  himself, 
"  Shall  I  let  the  fellow  go  on,  or  shut  him  up  ?  He  is 
really  getting  insufferable  with  his  radicalism,  still,  he 
has  considerable  political  influence  among  the  laboring 


JOHN  TALKS  RADICALISM  215 

men,  and  I  had  better  not  offend  him  now.  Besides,  I 
should  really  like  to  see  how  far  his  idiocy  goes."  So 
thinking,  Ward  said  nothing,  and  Katherine  felt  at  lib- 
erty to  continue  the  conversation,  though  she  knew  she 
must  be  a  little  cautious  in  expressing  her  opinions  in 
her  husband's  presence. 

"It  would  revolutionize  society,  Parsifal,  if  those 
ideas  were  carried  out,"  she  said,  smiling. 

"  When  we  stop  and  realize  what  our  present  standards 
are,  we  can't  help  being  horrified,"  responded  John 
seriously.  "  Social  and  political  considerations  leave  the 
personality,  with  its  merit  or  demerit,  practically  out  of 
the  question.  We  seek  the  acquaintance  of  people 
because  they  have  a  certain  income  and  live  in  houses 
of  a  particular  style ;  we  nominate  men  to  office  who  can 
contribute  largely  to  the  expenses  of  the  campaign,  and 
whose  characters  are  not  too  good  for  the  machinations 
of  the  politicians,  and  then  we  elect  them  because  they 
belong  to  the  party  we  have  chosen  to  support.  Doesn't 
it  all  seem  perfectly  absurd  when  we  look  at  the  matter 
from  an  impartial  standpoint  ?  Is  there  any  need  more 
vital  to  the  human  soul  than  that  of  companionship  with 
beings  who  will  inspire  and  strengthen  it  ?  Yet  we  cut 
ourselves  off  from  such  fulfilment  for  reasons  which  are 
positively  senseless ;  and  is  there  any  need  more  vital  to 
the  corporate  creature,  the  socially  connected  man,  than 
proper  representation  in  his  legislative  halls  ?  Yet  we 
deny  ourselves  this  absolutely,  and  allow  the  choice  of 
our  representatives  to  be  governed  by  principles  so  per- 
nicious that  it  is  only  an  accident  if  a  man  comes  to 
represent  the  people  who  cares  anything  about  their 
necessities.  The  men  who  go  to  Washington,  therefore, 
and  to  our  capital  cities,  go  there  with  adherence  to 
party  principles  written  first  of  all  upon  their  hearts, 
and  it  never  seems  to  occur  to  them  that  the  welfare  of 
the  people  is  in  their  keeping." 


216  WHICH  WINS 

"  But  look  here,  Parsifal,  I  think  you  are  doing  a  good 
deal  of  wholesale  grumbling,"  cried  Ward.  "The  people 
elect  their  own  officers,  and  haven't  they  a  right  to  elect 
whom  they  choose  ?  Why  do  they  send  men  to  the  legis- 
lature and  the  senate  who  won't  do  their  will,  if  they 
don't  choose  to,  I  should  like  to  know  ?  You  are  get- 
ting on  dangerous  ground,  if  you  go  to  assailing  our  con- 
stitution." 

"I'm  not  assailing  the  constitution,"  replied  John 
warmly  ;  "  but  you  know  as  well  as  I  do  that  the  election 
of  a  man  depends  solely  upon  his  party  nomination,  and 
the  nominations  all  over  the  country  are  so  controlled 
by  vicious  party  machinery,  that  it  is  impossible  for  a 
man  to  be  elected  simply  because  he  is  the  choice  of  the 
people.  In  fact,  that  usually  has  nothing  to  do  with  it. 
He  gets  in  because  he  is  not  obnoxious  to  the  party 
bosses,  and  the  fact  is  that  our  officers  of  state  do  not 
represent  the  people  much  more  than  did  the  senate  of 
a  Greek  oligarchy  twenty-four  hundred  years  ago." 

"Well,  I  must  say,  I  think  you  are  going  altogether 
too  far  in  those  statements.  To  hear  you  talk  one  would 
think  we  were  no  longer  a  republic.  Congress  is  some- 
times a  little  slow  in  following  the  trend  of  public  opin- 
ion, but  you  see  even  the  senators  are  waking  up  to  the 
fact  that  tariff  reform  is  the  question  of  the  hour,  and 
we  shall  have  a  bill  introduced  before  long  that  will  sat- 
isfy everybody,  you  will  see,"  and  Ward  stroked  his 
silky  black  mustache  with  a  comfortable  conviction  that 
by  that  speech  he  had  established  himself  as  a  liberal- 
minded  man  and  a  good  Democrat,  and  taken  a  position 
which  no  one  could  assail. 

Katherine,  meanwhile,  watched  her  husband  with  an 
amusement  which  was  a  trifle  bitter.  She  had  grown  to 
know  him  so  well  in  their  few  years  of  married  life 
that  she  felt  sometimes  as  if  the  springs  of  his  mind 


WARD  AS  A  POLITICIAN  217 

were  laid  bare,  and  she  were  reading  thoughts  of  whose 
existence  he  never  intended  any  one  to  know.  "Ah, 
Stephen,"  she  reflected  sarcastically,  "you  can  advocate 
tariff  reform  with  a  fine  air  of  candor,  because  your  busi- 
ness is  such  that  it  makes  no  difference  whether  the 
country  is  governed  by  free  trade  or  protection  princi- 
ples. There  will  be  enough  people  to  borrow  money 
anyway.  But  let  some  one  get  up  and  propose  a  mort- 
gage law  in  the  Missouri  legislature  which  should  prom- 
ise some  relief  to  these  poor  flies  you  mangle  in  your 
shining  net,  and  we  should  see  how  soon  your  soul  would 
cry  out.  It's  very  easy  to  be  unprejudiced  when  one's 
pocket  is  being  filled  in  spite  of  political  reform." 

But  Katherine's  attention  was  attracted  at  that  moment 
by  John's  remarks,  the  tenor  of  which  rather  startled 
her. 

"Do  you  think  tariff  reform  is  the  question  of  the 
hour,  then  ? "  he  asked  slowly,  watching  the  flames 
which  rose  and  fell  in  the  open  fireplace,  like  so  many 
insidious  devils  coaxing  the  living  five  from  the  unsus- 
pecting black  masses,  and  leaving  them  but  dead  and 
senseless  ashes  as  a  result. 

"  I  should  call  it  so  decidedly,"  replied  Ward,  speak- 
ing in  that  deep  throaty  voice  which  is  always  an  expres- 
sion of  well-fed  and  pompous  self-satisfaction.  "  I  don't 
know  any  other  question  the  decision  of  which  is  so  — 
well  —  so  essential  to  all  classes,"  he  concluded,  stroking 
his  mustache  again,  as  if  he  felt  that  he  had  once  more 
done  credit  to  his  political  astuteness. 

"  It  is  a  question  of  vast  importance,  I  grant  you," 
replied  John  ;  "  but  it  hardly  seems  to  me  first,  at  pres- 
ent. Its  solution  would  not  be  long  delayed  if  the 
ball  were  set  rolling  in  the  right  direction,"  he  added. 

"  But  what  do  you  think  is  more  important,  Parsifal  ?  " 
asked  Katherine,  for  her  husband  had  sunk  into  a  digni- 


218  WHICH   WINS 

fied  silence,  and  evidently  felt  no  curiosity  as  to  the 
further  progress  of  a  question  upon  which  he  had  given 
an  opinion. 

"I  think  this  question  of  rich  and  poor  is  reaching 
alarming  proportions,"  said  John  cautiously  ;  for  he  felt 
that  he  was  treading  upon  dangerous  ground.  "The 
poor  fellow  who  is  mortgaged  beyond  any  possibility  of 
hope  is  not  going  to  care  much  whether  a  tariff  is  pro- 
tective for  revenue  only,  or  non-existent,  and  the  man 
who  is  driven  out  of  the  possibility  of  making  an  inde- 
pendent living  by  the  growing  power  of  trusts,  will  not 
be  helped  by  free  trade.  We  want  some  sort  of  econo- 
mic reform  which  will  remove  the  oppression  of  the 
poor  by  the  rich,  it  seems  to  me." 

"I  expected  you'd  get  around  to  your  hobby  before 
long,  Parsifal ! "  exclaimed  Ward  with  a  laugh  in  which 
John  felt  there  was  considerable  irritation.  "What  a 
study  the  human  mind  is  !  Now,  your  views  upon  that 
subject  are  so  clearly  traceable  to  your  own  misfortunes, 
that  they  don't  trouble  me  at  all.  I  can  see  so  easily 
that  all  you  need  is  a  bank  account  of  comfortable 
dimensions  to  correct  that  peculiarity.  A  few  years 
will  see  you  holding  very  respectable  opinions,  I've  no 
doubt."  And  Ward  poked  the  fire  in  a  way  which 
roused  the  little  devils  in  the  flames  to  a  state  of  wild 
excitement,  and  sank  back  in  his  chair,  hoping  that  John 
was  silenced  for  the  time  being. 

But  John's  heart  was  very  sore  upon  this  one  subject, 
and  he  was  not  so  easily  crushed  by  a  realization  of 
Ward's  bank  account  as  formerly.  The  manhood  in 
him  had  been  growing  at  a  marvellous  pace  of  late,  and 
he  felt  that  he  dared  say  many  things  before  Ward 
would  quite  order  him  out  of  the  house. 

"I've  no  doubt  my  own  misfortunes  have  something 
to  do  with  my  opinions,  Ward,"  he  said,  smiling,  "  but, 


THE  DIVINITY  IN  "  VESTED  RIGHTS"          219 

nevertheless,  they  are  not  peculiar  to  myself.  I  hear 
them  uttered  constantly  on  every  side,  and  no  one,  it 
seems  to  me,  can  realize  the  condition  of  the  poor  or 
middle-class  man  to-day  without  feeling  that  he  needs 
the  aid  of  all  the  divine  powers  to  protect  him  against 
his  brother  man.  Think  of  one  firm  in  Kansas  having 
eighteen  hundred  mortgages  to  foreclose  immediately," 
he  added  more  warmly,  "and  think  of  the  Immigration 
society  inviting  people  to  come  West  to  occupy  these 
farms  as  tenants,  which  only  just  now  were  held  by 
independent  proprietors,  who  have  been  driven  from 
them  by  the  action  of  nefarious  laws." 

"  By  nefarious  laws  !  "  exclaimed  Ward  sharply ;  "  do 
you  mean  to  call  those  laws  nefarious  which  were  created 
by  wise  legislation  for  the  protection  of  vested  rights  ?  " 
and  Ward  sat  up  straight  in  his  chair  and  swelled  with 
the  consciousness  of  the  wealth  and  power  he  repre- 
sented, wealth  which  "  the  rabble  "  would  have  consider- 
able trouble  in  snatching  from  him,  he  felt  sure. 

"I  know,  Ward,  that  this  is  a  sensitive  subject  for  us 
to  discuss,"  replied  John,  speaking  with  much  deference, 
for  he  did  not  wish  to  anger  his  friend  ;  "  but  really, 
'  nefarious  '  does  seem  to  me  a  proper  word  to  apply  to 
laws  which  we  know  perfectly  well  protect  only  the 
powerful  class,  and  act  with  relentless  destruction 
upon  the  poor  and  struggling.  It  seems  to  me  only 
fair  to  ask  for  a  division  of  privileges,  and  give  the 
poor  borrower,  especially  if  he  is  a  farmer,  the  right  not 
to  be  fleeced." 

"  That  sort  of  talk  does  very  well  in  a  Labor  Union 
meeting,  John,  or  a  Farmer's  Alliance,  but  really,  you 
know,  it  doesn't  go  down  with  sensible  men ; "  and 
Ward  rose  and  walked  uneasily  about,  trying  to  control 
his  temper.  "  The  law  was  never  made  to  protect  fools  ! " 
he  continued  with  irritation,  "if  they  can't  keep  their 
money,  they  had  better  hire  out  to  those  who  can." 


220  WHICH  WINS 

"  That's  exactly  the  state  of  things  which  threatens, 
and  which  ought  to  be  prevented  ! "  cried  John,  his  eyes 
sparkling.  "  The  law  must  protect  the  poor  fellow  who 
is  comparatively  helpless  against  his  rich  neighbor,  and 
enable  him  to  maintain  his  place  in  the  world." 

"  You  want  him  to  eat  his  cake  and  have  it,"  inter- 
rupted Ward  irritably ;  "  why  don't  you  come  out  fair 
and  square  with  your  communism,  and  lay  aside  the  mask 
of  equal  rights  ?  You  fellows  who  have  nothing  to  lose 
are  very  free  in  your  ideas  of  legislating  fortunes  out  of 
other  folks'  pockets.  Come,  Katherine,  give  us  some 
music,  and  let's  forget  the  needs  of  humanity  for  a 
moment ;  "  and  while  Katherine  played  one  of  those 
deeply  pathetic  nocturnes  of  Chopin's,  which  breathe  the 
Welt-schmerz  of  all  nations  and  races  of  men,  John's 
thoughts  could  not  but  run  on  in  the  direction  of  Ward's 
last  words. 

"  You  fellows  who  have  nothing  to  lose  ! "  he  reflected  ; 
"  are  not  they  the  very  ones,  the  only  ones  from  whom 
an  impartial  opinion  on  economic  questions  can  be 
expected  ?  It  is  asking  a  great  deal  of  human  nature 
to  demand  a  decision  upon  questions  which  concern  all, 
from  the  class  which  alone  will  suffer  pecuniarily  by  the 
decision.  And  yet  one  always  hears  the  cry  raised  that 
any  solution  coming  from  the  '  fellows  who  have  nothing 
to  lose '  is  dangerous.  Is  it  not  more  dangerous  coming 
from  men  whose  property  rights  must  influence  a  dictum 
against  humanity  ?  " 

John  pondered  long  over  the  problem,  and  went  home 
at  last,  happy  in  the  conscious  rectitude  of  a  very 
nearly  empty  pocket-book. 

"  After  all,"  he  said,  "  the  vagabond  is  king  of  his 
own  thoughts.  He  is  not  bondsman  to  any  worldly  and 
selfish  considerations,  and  can  look  truth  squarely  in 
the  face  if  he  will.  I  would  rather  have  his  ragged 
shoes  than  Ward's  patent  leathers." 


A  TALK  WITH  A  LABORING  MAN  221 


CHAPTER  XXV 

A    TALK    WITH    A    LABORING    MAN 

JOHN'S  .  business  one  afternoon  took  him  out  to  the 
limits  of  the  city.  He  stepped  consequently  upon  one 
of  those  whirling,  rattling,  stop-for-nothing  and  death-to- 
all-opponents  contrivances  called  a  cable  car,  and  was 
soon  whizzing  through  space  at  a  rate  which  seemed  to 
threaten  the  passenger  with  asphyxia,  and  the  hapless 
pedestrian  with  certain  dismemberment. 

The  only  possible  description  of  a  cable  car,  John 
thought,  was  a  general  slambang,  for  the  creaking  of 
the  cable,  the  rubbing  of  the  grip,  the  grating  of  the 
wheels,  the  constant  ding-dong  of  the  bell,  and  the 
monotonous  repetition  of  the  names  of  the  streets  by 
the  conductor,  who  opened  the  door  and  slammed  it 
to  again  each  time  he  shouted  one,  formed  a  micro- 
cosm of  inharmonious  sounds,  which  it  would  be  impos- 
sible to  duplicate  anywhere  outside  of  the  infernal 
regions. 

"  Such  must  be  the  hell  of  a  scoundrelly  musician," 
John  thought ;  and  his  fancy  ran  on  painting  the  possi- 
ble additions  which  the  ingenuity  of  his  satanic  majesty 
might  make  to  the  inimitable  chorus  around  him,  when 
he  was  startled  from  his  re  very  by  the  consciousness 
that  some  one  had  dropped  into  the  empty  seat  beside 
him. 

"  Ah,  Craig  !  "  he  exclaimed,  extending  his  hand  with 
a  smile  as  he  recognized  Watson's  friend,  the  young 
carpenter,  "I  am  glad  business  takes  you  my  way. 


222  WHICH  WINS 

What  have  you  been  doing  lately  ?  Watson  and  the  girls 
have  been  wondering  about  you  a  little,"  he  added, 
rejoicing  secretly  to  see  the  flush  which  rose  in  Craig's 
cheeks  at  the  close  of  his  remark,  for  he  fancied  Maggie 
was  somewhat  interested  in  this  bright  young  mechanic. 

"  I've  had  a  job  out  of  town  for  some  weeks,"  replied 
Craig,  "  and  I've  only  just  come  in.  I  thought  of  drop- 
ping round  to  Watson's  to-night,  to  look  after  the  type- 
writing business  a  little,"  he  added,  smiling  back  to 
John  as  if  with  an  invitation  for  teasing,  "  and  to  talk 
politics.  They  say  you're  going  to  run  for  alderman  on 
our  ticket,  Mr.  Thurston ;  how's  that  ?  " 

"  Why,  yes,  Craig,"  replied  John  with  some  hesitation ; 
"  I  wouldn't  mind  doing  it  if  you  get  up  a  platform  that 
suits  me." 

"  Well,  I  think  we  could  do  that  if  you  let  us  into 
your  ideas,"  replied  Craig  respectfully  ;  for  he  was  con- 
scious of  more  than  ordinary  esteem  for  the  young  man 
beside  him,  who,  though  not  much  his  senior  in  years, 
always  made  him  feel  that  his  thinking  and  living  had 
gone  deeper  down  than  his  own. 

"  You  see,"  said  John  with  some  hesitation,  "  it  seems 
to  me  you  Labor  Union  fellows  are  too  narrow.  You 
don't  try  to  appeal  to  any  one  outside  of  your  own 
order,  and  as  long  as  you  restrict  yourselves  in  that  way, 
you  can't  accomplish  anything  important.  You  must 
get  out  of  class  limitation  and  reach  all  men  before  you 
can  do  much  for  reform." 

"  I  think  I  see  your  idea,"  replied  Craig  slowly,  "  but 
really,  I  don't  believe  the  Labor  Union  men  have  ever  had 
much  hope  of  bringing  about  practical  reform  very  soon. 
They  regard  their  work  as  educational  for  the  present." 

"  That  isn't  the  way  to  look  at  it ! "  said  John  earnestly ; 
"  they  must  believe  they  will  accomplish  their  ends,  and 
set  the  machinery  to  work  to  do  it.  The  whole  world 


HE  NEED  OF  A  NEW  PARTY  223 

is  getting  roused  over  the  questions  you  agitate,  and 
you  must  agitate  with  them.  Include  the  world  in 
your  efforts,  and  don't  stay  satisfied  with  shaking  up  one 
little  corner  of  it." 

"  That's  very  pleasant  to  listen  to,"  said  Craig,  smil- 
ing, "but  how  are  we  going  to  do  it  ?  " 

"  It's  a  very  simple  thing,"  replied  John  :  "  instead  of 
calling  yourselves  a  Labor  Union  party,  and  working 
solely  among  the  laboring  men  and  their  organizations, 
go  out  among  men  with  a  people's  ticket,  and  appeal  to 
every  one  who  suffers  from  any  sort  of  oppression  to  vote 
it.  They  won't  do  it  at  first,  but  just  let  it  dawn  on 
them  that  you  mean  what  you  say,  that  your  ticket 
stands  for  freedom  and  equality,  against  oppression  and 
monopoly,  and  you'll  be  amazed  to  see  the  people 
flocking  to  your  standard."  John's  eyes  glistened  as 
he  spoke.  "  Nearly  everybody  suffers,"  he  added,  "  and 
the  only  thing  which  will  retard  your  success  is  the 
fact  that  people  have  grown  so  accustomed  to  legislation 
without  representation,  through  the  chicanery  of  the 
two  great  parties,  that  they  must  have  time  to  think 
out  the  possibility  of  real  representation  and  what  it 
means.  It  won't  take  them  long ;  one  or  two  campaigns 
will  do  the  work,  for  you  see  the  need  is  great." 

Both  men  were  silent  a  few  moments,  busy  with  the 
thoughts  their  conversation  suggested  to  each. 

"  How  much  do  you  make  a  day,  Craig  ?  "  asked  John 
suddenly. 

"Oh,  I  get  two  and  a  half,"  replied  the  young  man. 
«  Why  do  you  ask  ?  " 

"I  was  wondering  how  much  you  have  to  grumble 
about,"  said  John.  "  You  get  just  about  what  I  do." 

"  No,"  replied  the  other ;  "  I'm  paid  by  the  day.  When 
I'm  sick  or  out  of  a  job  my  wages  stop,  so  I  don't 
average  much  over  forty  dollars  a  month  now.  But 


224  WHICH  WINS 

then  I  am  a  good  workman,  steady  and  economical  on 
account  of  my  revolutionary  ideas,"  he  added  smiling, 
"and  so  I  get  on.  I'll  be  a  master  carpenter  and 
mechanic  and  contractor  some  day,  if  I  don't  turn  into 
an  architect,  as  I'd  like  to,  and  then  I  hope  the  world 
will  go  more  easily  with  me,  even  if  our  party  doesn't 
gain  its  ends,"  he  concluded. 

"  But  you  have  to  deny  yourself  a  great  deal,  I  fancy," 
remarked  John,  glancing  from  the  fine  face  beside  him 
to  the  hardened  hands,  which  explained  somewhat  the 
look  of  care  in  it. 

"  You  are  right  about  that ! "  responded  Craig  earn- 
estly ;  "  this  nineteenth  century  civilization  makes  a  hard 
tussle  for  us  workingrnen.  The  things  I  want  and 
can't  have  set  me  most  wild  sometimes.  And  they're 
not  unreasonable  things  either,  but  simply  those  which 
a  man  of  this  age  demands  because  he  has  stopped  being 
a  beast,"  and  the  young  man's  face  sharpened  and  his 
eyes  flashed,  as  if  he  felt  the  force  in  him  to  demand  if 
he  only  knew  where  to  go  with  his  claim. 

"  What  are  your  worst  needs,  those  that  trouble  you 
most  ? "  asked  John  sympathetically,  "  lack  of  time,  I 
fancy." 

"  Yes,  that  is  a  great  deal,"  replied  Craig ;  "  to  see 
one's  self  surrounded  by  knowledge  of  every  sort,  and  be 
debarred  from  it  by  the  need  of  simply  keeping  one's 
bodily  fires  going  is  hard,  mighty  hard.  But,  Mr. 
Thurston,  that  isn't  all,"  he  added :  "  we  workingmen 
haven't  the  same  bodies  and  nervous  systems  as  our 
forefathers;  we're  not  cattle  now,  no  matter  what  we 
once  were.  We  can't  live  like  cattle  any  longer  with 
contentment.  We  want  decent  surroundings  and  some 
of  the  refinements  of  life  for  our  children.  It's  just 
like  Rose  with  her  white  table-cloth,"  he  added,  smiling 
at  the  recollection  of  his  last  supper  at  the  Watsons', 


NO  PREJUDICE  AGAINST   "GENTLEMEN"        225 

and  how  Rose  had  gloried  in  her  table  finery.  "We 
crave  the  surroundings  of  the  civilization  in  the  midst 
of  which  we  live,  and  I  think  we  have  a  right  to  them, 
don't  you  ?  " 

"  Of  course  you  have,  we  all  have  ! "  cried  John ; 
"that's  the  reason  I'm  so  anxious  about  this  platform 
and  having  it  broad  enough.  Do  you  suppose  the  Labor 
Union  man  is  the  only  fellow  who  has  unsatisfied  crav- 
ings ?  " 

"  Yes;  but,  Mr.  Thurston,"  said  Craig,  hesitating, 
"you're  not  like  me,  you've  had  all  these  things,  you're 
a  gentleman ! " 

"Now,  Craig !  "  cried  John,  turning  quickly  upon  him, 
"you've  hit  a  point  that  I've  been  driving  at  all  the 
time.  You  bear  me  a  sort  of  grudge  because  I've  been 
brought  up  what  you  call  a  gentleman,  though  I'm  as 
down  on  my  luck  as  you  are  this  minute.  You  feel  as 
if  I'd  had  more  of  the  slice  than  you  have  already,  — 
and  so  I  have  in  a  way,  —  and  you'd  like  to  keep  me  out 
of  all  share  in  your  agitation  consequently ;  but  I  tell 
you  it  won't  do,  you'll  have  to  leave  the  accidents  of 
fortune  out  of  the  question,  and  count  in  all  the  fellows 
whose  hearts  are  with  you,  before  you  make  your 
party  go." 

Craig  protested  vehemently  against  John's  accusation, 
but  it  set  him  to  thinking,  and  he  finally  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  there  was  some  truth  in  it. 

"I  never  thought  of  it  before,"  he  said  to  himself, 
"but  we  workingmen  are  sort  of  banded  against  the 
world,  and  it's  just  as  Thurston  says,  our  only  hope  of 
success  is  to  draw  every  creature  who  feels  for  oppressed 
humanity,  and  has  suffered,  into  our  ranks.  What  a 
crowd  they  would  make,  sure  enough,"  he  reflected,  smil- 
ing at  his  own  fancy,  "  bags,  newsboys,  sewing-girls  (for 
of  course  we  must  count  in  the  women,  they  need  it 


226  WHICH  WINS 

bad  enough),  bankrupts,  evicted  farmers,  philosophers, 
and  poets !  The  very  misery  of  the  crowd  would  break 
a  hole  through  fate.  But  really  it  would  be  the  bone 
and  sinew  of  the  nation,  and  nothing  could  stand  against 
it.  It's  the  thing  to  do  !  "  he  said,  standing  still,  over- 
come by  the  magnitude  of  the  idea.  "  I'll  go  and  talk  to 
the  committee  about  it ; "  and  instead  of  passing  the 
evening  as  he  had  intended,  Craig  went  to  the  Labor 
Union  Hall,  and  talked  politics  until  his  breath  gave 
out. 

"  It's  paving  the  way  though,"  he  said,  smiling  to 
himself  as  he  thought  of  Maggie;  "who  knows  but 
Maggie  and  I  may  live  to  see  an  era  of  plenty  and  free- 
dom when  we  need  fear  neither  the  oppression  of  the 
rich  nor  the  poverty  of  our  children." 

As  Craig  fell  asleep  pleasant  dreams  haunted  his 
pillow.  Dreams  of  a  little  home,  a  white  table-cloth,  and 
rosy  children  starting  for  school  with  books  in  their 
hands.  Were  they  presuming  and  extravagant,  those 
dreams,  or  dangerous  in  their  tendency  ?  Did  they 
merit  driving  off  with  a  policeman's  club  ? 


KATHEPJNE  OPENS  HEK  HEART  227 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

KATHERINE  OPENS  HER  HEART 

JOHN  seldom  saw  Katherine  alone,  but  it  happened 
one  evening  he  dropped  in  at  the  Wards',  and  found  the 
head  of  the  family  had  left  the  city,  with  a  wealthy 
friend  to  spend  a  couple  of  days  at  the  Springs  near  by, 
and  Katherine  was  alone,  playing  tempestuous  Hunga- 
rian music  in  a  rather  disturbed  fashion.  John  fancied 
there  were  traces  of  tears  on  her  cheek,  as  she  rose  to 
meet  him,  and  he  wondered  angrily  to  himself  if  Ward 
had  caused  them,  for  Katherine  had  never  let  fall  a 
word  in  regard  to  her  relations  with  her  husband,  and  a 
little  altercation  he  had  heard  between  them  recently,  in 
regard  to  some  music  scholars  with  whose  instruction 
Katherine  had  consented  to  busy  herself,  was  his  only 
clew  as  to  their  mutual  attitude. 

"I  hope  I  do  not  intrude,  Mrs.  Ward,"  he  said  apolo- 
getically as  she  rose  to  receive  him.  "  I  did  not  know 
your  husband  was  out  of  the  city." 

"  Intrude  ?  "  repeated  Katherine,  extending  her  hand, 
"does  any  one  intrude  who  drives  away  unwelcome 
thoughts  ?  If  so,  you  are  certainly  worthy  of  the  pun- 
ishment for  that  offence,  for  my  thoughts  were  very 
dreary." 

"  They  ought  not  to  be,"  replied  John,  glancing  from 
his  pretty  hostess  about  the  charming  apartment  in 
which  they  stood  ;  "  that  is,  if  the  things  which  most 
women  love  can  give  you  pleasure,"  he  added,  smiling. 

"I  don't  know  whether  I  am  different  from  most 
women  or  not;  I  don't  think  I  am,"  said  Katherine, 


228  WHICH  WINS 

somewhat  quickly,  for  she  had  grown  very  eager  to 
defend  her  own  sex  of  late,  "but  I  don't  care  much  for 
money  alone,  or  its  evidences.  I  think  I  like  independ- 
ence better  than  anything  else,"  she  added,  turning  the 
rings  upon  her  finger  meditatively,  "and  naturally  if 
that  is  interfered  with  I  grow  dolorous." 

"  I  think  that  is  the  feeling  of  many  society  women 
whose  lives  are  confined  within  narrow  limits,  and  who 
long  for  an  individuality  greater  than  social  convention 
permits  them,"  said  John.  "You  would  feel  it  more 
than  the  average  woman,  because  your  experience  before 
marriage  was  more  varied  and  unrestrained  than  falls 
generally  to  the  feminine  lot." 

"  Indeed  it  was  ! "  cried  Katherine  enthusiastically. 
"You  don't  know  how  often  I  think  of  those  happy 
days,"  she  added,  with  a  deepening  of  the  shadow  on 
her  face.  "  I  had  a  letter  only  to-day  from  my  mother, 
who  is  very  anxious  to  have  me  make  her  a  visit.  Just 
think !  I  have  not  seen  her  since  my  marriage.  But 
Mr.  Ward  objects  seriously  to  my  going.  I  think  he 
rather  dreads  to  have  me  renew  the  charm  of  my  old 
unconventional  days ! "  she  concluded,  looking  at  John 
with  a  glance  that  was  almost  tearful. 

John  had  never  seen  Katherine  in  quite  this  mood 
before.  She  was  usually  either  absorbed  and  silent,  or 
disdainful,  when  not  her  ordinary  cheery,  sympathetic 
self ;  but  to-night  something  seemed  to  have  given  way, 
and  she  was  as  nearly  hysterical  as  he  could  have 
imagined  possible. 

"  I  don't  know  what  your  ideas  of  wifely  submission 
are,  Mrs.  Ward,"  remarked  John  after  a  moment's  pause, 
"  but  if  I  were  in  your  place,  and  wanted  to  go  to  New 
York,  I  should  certainly  go." 

Katherine  looked  up  quickly.  "  So  should  I,"  she  re- 
sponded with  decision,  "  if  it  were  practicable." 


KATHERINE   GROWS  STROXG-MINDED  229 

"  And  why  isn't  it  practicable  ?  "  cried  John.  "  I  sup- 
pose I  am  talking  treason  against  Ward,  but  I  can't  help 
it.  The  change  would  be  a  wonderful  benefit  to  you, 
and  I  should  have  my  physician  advise  .it,  if  I  were  in 
your  place." 

Katherine  had  risen  and  walked  back  and  forth  in  the 
handsome  drawing-room,  the  soft  folds  of  her  dress 
sweeping  behind  her,  quite  out  of  harmony  with  her 
hurried  and  excited  movement. 

"Parsifal,"  she  said  suddenly,  pausing  before  him, 
"isn't  a  pauper  out  of  place  in  a  spot  like  this?" 

"  Why,  yes,  I  should  say  so,"  replied  John  in  surprise, 
«  but "  — 

"  A  pauper  not  only  in  money  but  in  spirit,"  went  on 
Katherine  excitedly,  "  a  craven  so  mean  as  to  bear  all 
sorts  of  insult  and  degrading  treatment,  rather  than 
offend  conventionality,  conventionality  alone.  Do  you 
take  that  in  ?  Parsifal,  do  you  know  what  most  women 
are  ? "  she  added,  a  red  spot  growing  in  each  cheek ; 
"  they  are  cowards  and  liars,  and  not  so  much  to  blame 
for  being  that,  because  they  are  slaves,  and  trained  to 
it,  taught  that  it  is  their  duty  to  play  a  part,  and  conceal 
their  real  selves  always,  in  order  to  please  their  hus- 
bands !  Think  of  it !  Think  of  being  bound  body  and 
soul  to  a  tyrant  who  considers  that  you  have  no  right  to 
any  existence  outside  of  himself,  and  then  think  of 
sitting  demurely  by,  to  hear  dignified  gentlemen  discuss 
the  propriety  of  having  the  divorce  laws  made  stricter, 
as  I  have  done  ! "  and  here  Katherine  broke  down,  and 
laying  her  head  on  the  little  table  by  which  she  sat, 
sobbed  aloud. 

"Why,  Mrs.  Ward,  Katherine,  what  is  it,  what  has 
happened  to  rouse  you  so?"  exclaimed  John  deeply 
shocked.  "Do  you  mean  to  say,"  he  cried,  rising  and 
towering  above  her  like  a  protecting  genius,  "that  Ward 
abuses  you  ?  " 


230  WHICH  WINS 

Katherine  made  no  reply  for  some  minutes,  but  sobbed 
on,  indulging  in  that  heavenly  feeling  of  relief  which 
comes  with  the  gushing  of  long  pent-up  tears.  Pres- 
ently she  stopped,  and,  wiping  the  drops  from  her  eyes, 
compelled  herself  to  speak  more  calmly. 

"  I  don't  know  what  ails  me  to  give  way  like  this," 
she  said,  "but  I  suppose  it  is  because  at  last  I  have  re- 
ceived a  little  more  than  I  can  bear." 

"  But,  Mrs.  Ward,  you  surprise  me,"  said  John ;  "  ex- 
cuse me,  I  always  supposed  you  at  least  financially 
independent  of  your  husband;  and  with  a  man  of  his 
temperament  that  means  a  great  deal." 

"I  was  financially  independent  of  him,"  cried  Kath- 
erine, taking  off  the  large  diamond  which  had  sealed  her 
engagement,  and  laying  it  on  the  table,  as  if  she  were 
putting  off  a  chain.  "  The  good  powers  intended  that, 
and  only  my  own  foolishness  prevented  it.  You  know 
the  romantic  way  in  which  I  became  an  heiress  at  a 
critical  moment  of  my  career,"  she  added.  John  nodded. 

"  But  where  is  your  fortune  now  ? "  he  asked,  as 
Katherine  paused. 

She  looked  at  him  hesitatingly.  "I  hardly  like  to 
tell  you  how  foolish  I  have  been,"  she  said,  "  but  I  don't 
think  you  could  realize  what  an  inexperienced  girl  I 
was  when  I  married  Stephen."  Then  encouraged  by 
the  sympathy  she  read  in  John's  eyes,  sympathy  unmin- 
gled  by  any  expression  which  could  shock  or  distress 
her,  she  went  on  frankly  to  relate  her  husband's  conduct 
since  her  marriage,  his  withholding  her  money,  and  abso- 
lute refusal  to  recognize  her  possession  of  it  in  any 
way. 

"And,  you  see,"  she  concluded,  "I  have  nothing  to 
show  for  it.  I  have  no  receipts,  not  a  scrap  of  writing, 
to  prove  that  I  ever  gave  him  a  penny,  nothing  but  my 
bare  word,  and  who  would  believe  that  any  woman  could 


IS  SLAVERY  BETTER  231 

give  away  twenty  thousand  dollars  without  security  ? 
But  I  know  better  now,"  she  added  bitterly ;  "  I  know 
what  sort  of  protection  women  may  expect  from  their 
husbands,  what  sort  of  cherishing  !" 

Noticing  suddenly  the  shocked  look  upon  John's  face, 
Katherine  paused.  "  You  are  horrified  at  my  revelations, 
Parsifal,"  she  said,  little  dreaming  the  depth  and  cause 
of  his  disquiet,  "and  I  know  you  must  be  equally 
horrified  to  think  that  /make  them  ;  but  you  don't  know 
what  it  has  been  to  live  pent-up  these  years,  to  be 
treated  like  an  inferior,  to  be  told  constantly  that  one 
is  dependent,  and  to  be  so  cowed  and  disheartened  with 
it  all,  that  one  doesn't  dare  break  out  into  open  rebellion. 
That  is  the  worst  of  it,"  she  added,  "that  I  who  always 
was  indifferent  to  the  opinion  of  the  world,  and  to 
conventional  prejudice,  should  grow  tame  enough  to  bear 
all  things  rather  than  offend  them;"  and  Katherine 
bowed  her  head  upon  her  hands  with  a  despairing 
gesture. 

John  meanwhile  was  lost  in  the  windings  of  bitter 
thought  which  Katherine's  words  had  roused.  He 
ground  his  teeth  as  he  listened,  and  only  allowed  him 
self  to  say  brusquely,  "But,  Heavens!  Mrs.  Ward,  you 
can  get  your  money.  Your  lawyer  in  New  York  knows 
all  about  this  proceeding." 

Katherine  paused.  "  I  have  thought  of  that,"  she  said, 
"  but  of  course  I  could  not  take  legal  steps  unless  I  left 
my  husband." 

John  bit  his  lips  with  a  sort  of  rage  against  the  tem- 
porizing spirit  of  this  beautiful  creature — a  feeling 
which  he  had  occasion  to  remember  afterward  with  deep 
self-condemnation.  But  he  could  hardly  believe  the 
full  extent  of  Ward's  culpability. 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say,  Mrs.  Ward,  that  your  husband 
refuses  to  pay  you  the  interest  on  your  fortune  ? "  he 
asked. 


232  WHICH  WINS 

"  I  have  never  had  a  penny  of  it  since  my  marriage," 
replied  Katherine.  "  When  the  first  interest  was  due,  he 
offered  me  ten  dollars,  and  told  me  my  credit  was  good 
everywhere ;  since  then  I  have  not  had  anything,  for  I 
would  not  take  the  trifling  sums  doled  out  to  me  as  if  I 
were  a  beggar  when  my  rights  were  refused  me,  and  so 
I  have  lived  absolutely  like  a  pauper.  Stephen  says 
often,  'You  can  have  money  if  you  need  it,  Kate;  just 
ask  for  it ; '  but  why  should  I  ask  for  what  is  my  own  ? 
I  would  rather  go  without  forever." 

"  And  have  you  never  asked  again  for  your  quarterly 
instalment  ?  "  inquired  John. 

"Certainly,"  replied  Katherine,  "I  have  asked  for 
that  always,  but  I  have  never  received  it,  and  never 
expect  to." 

"And  does  Ward  give  you  absolutely  no  money  at 
all?"  continued  John  in  astonishment. 

"None  at  all,"  replied  Katherine,  "except  an  occa- 
sional dollar  for  street-car  fare.  Everything  I  get  is 
'  charged/  clothes,  music,  books,  stationery,  groceries,  all 
bills  must  be  sent  into  my  lord  and  master,  that  he  may 
see  where  his  money  goes,  as  he  kindly  expresses  it, 
and  oh  !  the  scenes  we  have  sometimes,"  cried  Katherine, 
her  eyes  sparkling,  as  she  threw  herself  into  the  pom- 
pous attitude  which  had  become  characteristic  of  Ward. 
" <  What  do  you  mean,  Kate,  by  sending  me  such  bills 
as  these  ? ' "  she  went  on,  " '  do  you  want  to  drive  me  to 
the  poorhouse  ?  A  dollar's  worth  of  sugar  once  a  week 
for  a  family  of  this  size,  and  roasts  of  four  or  five 
pounds!  I'll  do  the  marketing  myself,  madame,  and 
let  you  see  what  economy  is  !  And  such  dry-goods  bills. 
I'll  have  you  know  I  won't  stand  this  extravagance ! ' 
that's  the  way  it  goes  on,"  continued  Katherine,  "and 
am  I  extravagant  ?  I  don't  spend  the  amount  of  my 
personal  income  for  my  dress  and  individual  expenses, 
I  assure  you." 


A  WIFE  OR  A  CHATTEL  233 

"But  whether  you  do  or  not,  no  man  has  a  right  to 
talk  to  his  wife  in  that  way,"  exclaimed  John  angrily, 
as  he  felt  his  prudence  rapidly  vanishing ;  "  if  you  were 
simply  his  housekeeper,  it  would  be  inexcusable,  but  his 
wife ! "  And  John's  whole  being  rose  in  rebellion  at 
such  injustice  to  the  woman  he  had  once  dreamed  of 
cherishing  as  his  own. 

Katherine  smiled  a  little  sadly  at  her  friend's  warmth, 
not  suspecting  its  cause. 

"  Parsifal,"  she  said,  "  I  think  a  great  many  men  talk 
to  their  wives  just  like  that.  They  think  a  woman  must 
be  kept  down,  as  Stephen  says,  and  if  she  is  inclined  to 
be  a  trifle  independent,  and  have  opinions  of  her  own, 
like  myself,  they  remind  her  frequently  of  her  depend- 
ent position,  for  fear  she  may  forget  that  her  husband 
is  the  head  of  the  family.  I  have  heard  men  argue  elo- 
quently for  woman's  rights,  and  then  turn  around  and 
snub  their  own  wives  openly,  just  because  they  evidently 
felt  the  necessity  of  keeping  the  balance  right  in  their 
own  households,  no  matter  what  they  thought  it  should 
be  in  the  nation,"  and  Katherine  tapped  her  foot  impa- 
tiently on  the  floor,  and  looked  sadly  at  John. 

"  I  know  there  is  a  great  deal  of  truth  in  what  you 
say,"  he  replied  soberly,  "  and  men  have  been  trained  to 
theories  of  selfish  domination  so  many  centuries,  that  it 
is  hard  for  them  to  live  up  to  the  modern  ideal  of  gener- 
ous equality ;  but  I  don't  think  there  can  be  many  cases 
so  flagrant  as  your  own,"  he  concluded  inquiringly. 

"I  know  a  great  number  of  them,"  cried  Katherine 
with  eagerness,  "  not  because  women  are  given  to  talk- 
ing about  their  husbands,  believe  me,  they  are  usually 
far  too  proud  to  expose  the  chains  they  wear.  But  when 
one  has  suffered,  one  can  detect  symptoms  of  the  same 
disease  in  others.  Very  few  women,  except  those  who 
are  independently  dowered,  have  a  financial  understand- 


234  WHICH  WINS 

ing  with  their  husbands  which  is  perfectly  satisfactory. 
The  point  which  makes  my  case  worse  than  many  is 
that  I  did  have  money  when  I  married,  and  my  husband 
has  appropriated  it." 

"But  marriage  should  be  a  partnership,"  cried  John, 
a  sort  of  dismay  creeping  over  him,  as  he  realized  sud- 
denly the  chasm  between  his  own  standard  and  that  of 
the  world  in  general.  "When  a  woman  marries  and 
assumes  the  duties  of  a  wife  and  mother,  does  she  not 
usually  give  up  all  chance  of  earning  an  independent 
livelihood,  and  by  that  very  fact  become  a  silent  partner 
in  her  husband's  estate  ?  " 

"A  very  silent  partner,"  cried  Katherine;  "a  partner 
whose  interest  is  represented  by  board  and  clothes,  very 
grudgingly  bestowed,  and  earned  by  an  entire  sacrifice 
of  individual  tastes." 

"  But  all  men  are  not  like  Ward,  Katherine ;  excuse 
me,  but  Ward  is  a  monster  in  his  selfishness,"  exclaimed 
John,  feeling  a  hot  wrath  rise  within  him,  and  using  his 
friend's  surname  name  unconsciously. 

"  I  suppose  you  will  call  me  pessimistic,  Parsifal,  but 
until  women  have  some  kind  of  legal  recognition,  which 
gives  them  a  financial  standing  in  the  family,  the  aver- 
age man  will  go  on  treating  his  wife  like  a  pauper,  and 
frequently  she  won't  know  it  is  wrong.  I  know  a  man 
who  has  an  income  of  ten  thousand  dollars  a  year,  and 
the  other  day  I  heard  his  wife  ask  him  for  a  quarter, 
and  she  made  the  request  quite  fearfully.  Now,  you 
see,  if  that  man  should  set  aside  a  certain  portion  of  his 
income  annually,  so  that  his  wife  could  draw  it  without 
recourse  to  him,  he  feels  certain  that  she  would  lose  her 
wifely  feeling  of  subjection,  and  might  grow  strong- 
minded.  Just  think  of  it !  They  don't  buy  our  bodies 
any  more,  but  they  make  it  even  by  buying  our  souls, 
and  never  fail  to  remind  us  that  they  consider  the  bar- 


WARD'S  MOTHER-IN-LAW  235 

gain  a  very  poor  one,"  and  Katherine  looked  so  thor- 
oughly wretched  and  broken-hearted,  that  John  was 
obliged  to  put  the  strongest  possible  restraint  upon  him- 
self, to  avoid  expressing  to  her  the  very  depth  of  the 
sympathy  she  roused  in  him. 

To  see  her,  the  lady  of  his  dreams,  insulted,  trampled 
upon,  and  to  feel  himself  powerless  to  help  her,  was  bit- 
ter indeed. 

"But,  Mrs.  Ward,  do  you  see  no  way  of  obtaining  jus- 
tice ?  "  he  said  at  last,  "  no  way  of  compelling  Ward  to 
give  you  your  rights  ?  " 

"  No  way  at  present  that  I  would  use,"  replied  Kath- 
erine briefly ;  "  women  resort  to  all  sorts  of  shifts  and 
tricks  to  extort  money  from  their  husbands,  and  I  sup- 
pose I  could  do  it  as  they  do,  for  I  am  beautiful  and 
Ward  is  human,  but  I  would  not  lower  myself  to  lie  and 
truckle  for  all  the  money  in  the  world,  not  even  for  my 
mother,  my  dear  mother,"  she  added  as  the  tears  dropped 
once  more  through  her  fingers. 

"  Is  your  mother  in  distress  ?  "  asked  John  gently. 

"Yes,"  replied  Katherine ;  "you  see,  mother  had  only 
a  small  income  of  her  own.  We  always  shared  every- 
thing, and  when  I  married  I  intended  to  give  her  half  of 
my  money,  but  I  have  never  been  able  to  send  her  any- 
thing but  articles  of  dress,  and  now  she  is  ill." 

"  And  does  Ward  know  that  ?  "  asked  John  indig- 
nantly. 

"  Oh,  yes ;  he  said  he  hadn't  married  my  mother,  and 
he  would  see  that  I  did  not  throw  my  money  away," 
replied  Katherine,  still  crying  softly.  "  You  see,  lately 
I  have  taken  a  few  scholars  so  that  I  can  send  her  some- 
thing, but  of  course  I  cannot  get  for  lessons  what  I 
received  in  New  York,  so  it  isn't  much,  and  mother 
doesn't  understand  why  I  treat  her  in  this  way." 

"  Have  you  never  told  her  about  —  about  your  hus- 
band's peculiarities  ?  "  asked  John  in  surprise. 


236  WHICH  WINS 

"  No,  of  course  not ;  why  should  I  ?  "  cried  Katherine 
with  a  quick  glance  ;  "  it  would  only  worry  her  to  death, 
and  do  no  good.  Some  time  I  shall  take  her  unexpectedly 
in  my  arms,  when  she  isn't  looking  for  me,  and  then  she 
will  understand.  If  she  doesn't  die  before  I  make  up 
my  mind,"  she  concluded  with  a  quiver  in  her  voice. 

Meanwhile  all  sorts  of  ideas  were  fermenting  in 
John's  brain.  It  seemed  as  if  his  old  friend's  character, 
in  its  painful  development,  was  unrolling  before  him, 
and  he  comprehended  mysteries  and  seized  clews  which 
had  before  been  meaningless  to  him. 

"Mrs.  Ward,"  he  asked  after  a  pause,  "do  you  know 
how  your  husband  invested  your  money,  and  whether  he 
draws  an  income  from  it  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,"  replied  Katherine,  shaking  her  head 
listlessly ;  "  he  said  once  he  had  put  three  thousand  dol- 
lars of  it  in  a  Nebraska  farm,  and  that  there  was  no  one 
on  it,  and  it  brought  no  income,  though  it  was  worth 
many  times  the  amount  invested  "  — 

"  Good  heavens  ! "  cried  John  suddenly,  "  I  never 
thought  that.  Oh,  no,  Ward !  you  did  not  do  that  surely," 
he  exclaimed  in  a  sort  of  agony,  until  a  realization  of  his 
friend's  perfidy,  before  that  moment  undreamed  of, 
dawned  upon  him. 

He  rose  and  walked  hurriedly  to  the  window,  feeling 
suffocated  by  the  crowding  thoughts  which  surged  over 
him,  while  Katherine,  startled  by  his  excitement  and 
exclamation,  sprang  to  his  side  asking  if  he  were  ill. 

"No,  no!"  he  said,  seizing  her  hands  and  pressing 
them  hard,  while  he  felt  that  she  must  not  suspect  the 
discovery  he  had  made.  "Not  ill,  not  ill,  Katherine, 
darling,"  and  she  never  forgot  the  look  in  his  eyes  while 
he  pressed  her  hands  again  so  that  she  almost  screamed. 
"  I  must  not  stay  here,"  he  added  more  quietly :  "  the 
thought  of  your  suffering  and  my  own  is  more  than  I 
can  bear." 


JOHN  MAKES  A  DISCOVERY  237 

He  knelt  down  all  at  once  and  touched  her  fingers 
with  his  lips.  "Forgive  me,"  he  cried,  "forgive  me, 
but  I  can't  help  it.  Do  not  stay  with  that  man:  it  is 
desecration."  And  then  he  was  gone. 

It  seemed  to  Katherine  as  if  the  world  shut  down 
ruthlessly  black  and  cold  about  her  after  she  was  alone, 
and  yet,  through  the  sense  of  her  own  misery,  cut  the 
realization  of  John's  suffering. 

She  had  been  so  wrapped  in  her  personal  troubles 
lately  that  she  had  almost  forgotten  those  of  other 
people,  —  excepting  the  other  people  who  had  husbands, 
—  and  John  was  so  calm,  so  self-contained,  he  held  her 
always  and  sustained  her  with  the  strength  of  his  spirit. 
She  had  seen  his  eyes  flash  often,  but  it  was  with  that 
deep,  inner  fire  which  contains  no  passion.  But  this 
time  he  had  broken  utterly.  She  had  seen  passion  and 
deep  suffering  in  his  eyes  when  he  knelt  before  her 
there,  and  she  could  not  understand  what  had  brought  it 
so  suddenly  to  the  surface.  Katherine  was  far  from 
believing  that  it  was  love  for  her  alone  that  had  thrown 
John  off  his  guard  like  that.  She  felt  in  a  far-away  sort 
of  fashion  that  John  loved  her  always ;  but  it  never 
seemed  like  the  love  of  other  men,  the  consciousness  of 
it  held  nothing  shocking,  and  she  was  sure  that  it  would 
never  unman  John. 

Long  she  pondered  over  the  mystery ;  but  it  escaped 
her,  and  she  went  up-stairs  at  last,  feeling  that  after  her 
frank  talk  with  John  —  a  talk  which  she  could  neither 
approve  nor  regret  —  it  was  doubly  impossible  for  her 
to  remain  under  her  husband's  roof. 

"It  will  not  be  long,"  she  said,  as  she  unbound  her 
hair  before  the  mirror,  and  gazed  at  the  pale  face  re- 
flected in  its  clear  depths ;  "  the  necessity  will  come 
before  many  days,  and  then  I  shall  be  free." 

She   sat  long  before  the  fire   in  her  dressing-room, 


238  WHICH  WINS 

luxuriating  in  her  loneliness,  for  her  disgust  for  her  hus- 
band, his  self-satisfaction  and  selfish  delight  in  his 
wealth,  had  grown  so  strong  of  late,  that  it  seemed  as  if 
his  presence  in  the  house  stifled  her. 

Katherine's  sympathies  were  not  always  broad,  except 
where  her  own  sufferings  had  taught  her  charity,  and 
she  could  not  soften  her  husband's  faults  by  any  philo- 
sophical explanation  of  their  cause  and  palliation  of 
their  development.  Their  existence  simply  irritated 
her,  and  this  irritation  grew  more  and  more  intense  each 
day  as  her  own  conception  of  his  narrowness  and  limita- 
tions deepened.  She  did  not  care  anything  about  the 
tendencies  of  the  time  which  appealed  to  his  particular 
weaknesses  and  strengthened  them ;  she  felt  simply  that 
she  suffered  unbearably,  and  that  she  must  end  her  tor- 
ments in  some  way.  The  bondage  of  conventionality 
was  fast  losing  its  hold  upon  her,  and  it  only  needed  a 
touch  more  at  some  unexpected  moment  to  snap  forever 
the  relation  between  herself  and  her  unheeding  husband. 

Meanwhile  she  waited. 


MAGGIE  FALLS  IN  LOVE  239 


CHAPTEE  XXVII 

MAGGIE    FALLS    IN    LOVE 

MAGGIE  WATSON  had  grown  into  a  very  pretty-looking 
and  well-mannered  young  woman,  who  might  have  as- 
pired to  a  marriage  with  some  youth  from  the  "  higher 
walks/'  so  called,  if  she  had  not  inherited  from  her 
father  a  contempt  so  supreme  for  gentlemen  of  that 
circle  in  life  that  nothing  could  have  induced  her  to 
accept  the  attentions  of  one  of  them.  Mr.  Thurston, 
she  frequently  said,  was  the  only  "gentleman"  she  ever 
knew  who  was  worthy  of  having  been  born  a  mechanic ; 
and  her  manner  toward  those  knights  of  the  drawing- 
room  with  whom  business  relations  brought  her  in  con- 
tact was  so  standoffish  at  first,  that  her  father  felt 
obliged  to  warn  her  of  the  imprudence  of  too  much 
independence  in  "trade." 

"Business  air  business,  Mag,  an'  ye  don't  want  ter 
bite  yer  own  nose  off,"  he  remarked.  "  It's  allays  wuth 
while  ter  do  that  air  fur  principle,  but  'taint  no  kind  o' 
use  fur  the  sake  o'  one  o'  them  whipper-snappers  the 
Lord  made  o'  what  he  had  left  from  mankind  in  gineral, 
an'  don't  you  furgit  it ! " 

Maggie  remembered  the  advice,  and  henceforth  rather 
delighted  in  practising  on  the  whipper-snappers  with 
smiles,  and  rejoicing  secretly  at  the  condition  of  help- 
less pulp  to  which  she  was  frequently  able  to  reduce 
them,  and  from  which  she  delighted  to  draw  them  forth 
occasionally  by  a  sudden  and  unexpected  application  of 
"  business  woman's  sarcasm,"  as  she  called  it. 

No  one  ever  luxuriated  more  heartily  than  Maggie,  in 


240  WHICH  WINS 

emergence  from  a  menial  condition,  and  her  father's 
delight  in  her  typewritin'  experiences  was  hardly 
equalled  by  her  own  satisfaction  therein. 

At  the  office  she  was  famous  for  her  wit  and  unfailing 
sang  froid,  and  few  people  dreamed  of  the  tenderness 
which  nestled  in  her  heart,  or  the  warmth  of  feeling 
which  could  flame  into  her  brown  eyes,  when  occasion 
demanded. 

Her  acquaintance  with  Felix  Craig  had  strengthened 
all  the  gentler  side  of  Maggie's  nature,  since  she  admired 
the  young  carpenter  from  the  first,  and  felt  no  need  of 
restraining  her  admiration,  as  he  had  a  trade,  and  be- 
longed to  the  same  body  of  the  Knights  of  Labor  as 
herself.  For  Maggie  was  an  enthusiastic  agitator,  read 
Karl  Marx  and  even  some  tracts  of  Bakunin,  and 
expressed  her  conviction  of  the  dignity  and  value  of 
labor  with  an  intensity  which  was  frequently  highly 
amusing  to  her  audience,  and  ought  to  have  been  unfail- 
ingly edifying. 

It  certainly  was  the  latter  to  Craig,  and  Maggie  never 
forgot  the  kind  way  in  which  he  thanked  her,  the  first 
time  she  ever  made  a  speech  at  the  Knights  of  Labor 
meeting,  and  how  feelingly  he  assured  her  that  if  more 
women  would  come  to  the  meetings  and  make  speeches 
like  that,  the  cause  of  labor  would  soon  grow  to  huge 
proportions. 

The  meetings  of  the  Knights  of  Labor,  in  fact,  were 
Maggie's  great  delight.  She  thought  over  the  speeches 
she  heard  there,  and  the  topics  discussed,  with  very 
good  results  as  far  as  her  own  culture  was  concerned, 
and  certainly  with  a  vast  amount  of  pleasure.  Politics 
became  rapidly  her  strong  point,  and  after  John  began 
to  attend  the  meetings  and  discuss  the  political  aspects 
of  the  Labor  question,  he  had  no  more  attentive  listener, 
no  more  enthusiastic  disciple,  than  Maggie  Watson. 


MAGGIE'S  CHAMPIONSHIP  241 

Her  own  situation  and  experience  made  her  realize 
accurately  the  truth  of  John's  proposition  that  the  only 
solution  of  the  Labor  problem  lay  in  making  it  a  national 
question,  in  opening  the  eyes  of  all  classes  to  the  truth 
that  it  touched  all,  and  was  not  limited  solely  to  those 
who  labor  with  the  hands.  Maggie  had  come  in  contact 
with  upper-tendom  through  the  Thurstons  and  Katherine, 
who  had  taken  the  entire  Watson  family  under  her  pro- 
tection, greatly  to  Ward's  disgust  —  he  had  a  secret 
conviction  that  a  large  portion  of  the  family  provisions 
were  privately  conveyed  into  the  Watson's  larder  through 
the  easy  gullibility  of  his  wife  —  and  her  business  re- 
lations with  the  aforesaid  whipper-snappers  had  taught 
her  a  great  deal.  She  realized  in  this  way  the  chasm 
existing  between  the  classes  of  producers  and  consumers, 
their  poor  comprehension  of  each  other,  and  the  neces- 
sity of  bringing  them  into  harmony. 

Thus,  in  spite  of  her  private  preference  for  mechanics, 
all  of  Maggie's  influence  among  the  knights,  and  it  was 
not  small,  was  thrown  in  the  direction  of  John's  move- 
ment. One  night  in  particular  she  did  him  a  service 
for  which  he  was  forever  grateful.  John  had  been 
making  a  speech  about  the  value  of  education  in  general, 
and  in  urging  the  advantage  of  night  schools  for  young 
mechanics  who  had  enjoyed  few  early  advantages,  and 
were  anxious  to  improve  themselves ;  dilated  somewhat 
too  enthusiastically,  perhaps,  upon  the  charm  of  refine- 
ment in  all  things  —  refinement  to  which  any  one  might 
aspire,  no  matter  what  his  station,  but  which  the  work- 
ingman  too  often  neglected  and  despised.  This  fact, 
he  said,  was  one  reason  for  the  misunderstanding  exist- 
ing between  the  more  and  less  highly  educated  classes, 
the  workingman  often  scorning  refinements  of  taste, 
culture,  and  manner,  and  the  professional  man,  for 
instance,  repelled  by  the  lack  of  these  desirable  but 


242  WHICH  WINS 

unessential  things  in  his  more  practical  confrere,  and 
thus  failing  to  do  justice  to  the  sterling  worth  of  mind 
and  character  which  the  mechanic  possessed. 

There  was  a  murmur  of  dissatisfaction  as  John  sat 
down,  and  several  hot-headed  speeches  were  made,  es- 
pecially one  by  a  man  named  Carleton,  who  was  promi- 
nent among  the  Labor  Union  men,  and  who  demanded 
fiercely  that  they  exclude  all  aristocrats  from  their 
membership,  and  tolerate  no  utterances  which  were  but 
a  veiled  attempt  to  gild  the  chains  in  which  labor  was 
held  by  conscienceless  oppressors  of  the  poor,  etc. 

John  sat  still,  feeling  that  it  would  be  useless  for 
him  to  say  a  word  in  explanation  of  his  meaning,  while 
such  a  spirit  of  uncharitableness  pervaded  the  meeting, 
when  suddenly  Maggie  rose,  and,  frankly  begging  that 
they  would  not  class  her  among  the  rich  and  vicious 
from  the  tenor  of  her  remarks,  proceeded  to  explain 
John's  meaning  to  the  best  of  her  ability. 

She  told  the  story  of  Rose's  white  table-cloth  and 
napkins,  and  of  the  enjoyment  they  had  all  gained  from 
this  simple  addition  to  their  table  equipage,  and  made 
the  whole  situation  so  clear  in  a  few  words,  that  even 
the  anarchichal  Carleton  rose  and  apologized,  declaring 
that  he  never  would  stand  against  progress  of  any  sort ; 
but  if  there  was  anything  he  hated  on  this  earth,  it  was 
the  cussed  airs  some  folks  put  on,  and  the  idea  of  excus- 
ing them  or  advising  the  laboring  man  to  adopt  them 
was  more  than  he  could  stand.  But  he  added  that  he 
accepted  the  explanation  given,  and  his  desire  for  har- 
mony was  so  intense  he  was  willing  to  go  through  any 
ordeal  to  reach  it,  from  studying  picture  galleries  to 
waxing  his  mustache.  This  last  remark  raised  a  great 
laugh,  for  Carleton's  mustache  was  something  indescrib- 
able, and  the  spirit  of  the  meeting  during  the  remainder 
of  the  evening  was  all  that  could  be  desired. 


CHIVALRY  AMONG   THE  KNIGHTS  243 

After  that  episode,  however,  John's  position  among 
the  knights  was  secure,  and  he  could  say  anything  to 
them  without  fear  of  misapprehension.  They  under- 
stood him,  and  followed  his  lead  unhesitatingly,  though 
the  idea  of  a  political  movement,  which  was  rather 
John's  hobby,  had  been  unpopular  among  many  of  them 
at  first.  They  lost  their  jealousy  of  John  as  a  gentle- 
man also,  and  of  course  by  that  very  fact  became 
less  eager  to  think  ill  of  other  "  gentlemen,"  while  a 
conception  of  the  power  of  union  grew  upon  them 
constantly. 

It  impressed  John  very  much  at  these  meetings  to 
see  the  admiration  and  respect  with  which  Maggie  was 
treated,  and  with  which  all  her  utterances  were  received, 
and  he  many  times  wondered  doubtfully  whether  a  body 
of  highly  educated  professional  men  would  treat  a  woman 
with  the  same  deference.  In  fact,  the  whole  attitude  of 
the  laboring-men  in  regard  to  the  woman  question  puz- 
zled him.  He  found  a  favorable  opinion  on  woman  suf- 
frage unanimous,  and  the  expressions  in  regard  to  it 
invariably  warm  and  enthusiastic ;  in  fact,  there  were 
several  members  of  the  Knights  of  Labor  and  the  Labor 
Union  organizations  who  invariably  went  out  of  their 
way  to  speak  most  chivalrously  in  favor  of  this  question, 
so  mooted  among  men  who  call  themselves  advanced  and 
highly  educated. 

John  wondered  often  why  it  was.  Had  their  own 
wrongs  made  them  more  sympathetic  with  the  sufferings 
of  their  wives  and  sisters  ?  he  queried,  or  had  enlighten- 
ment come  from  experience  of  the  fact  that  the  political 
disabilities  of  an  unfranchised  class  force  them  to  work 
for  lower  wages,  and  thus  crowd  out  the  independent 
laborer  who  can  vote  and  feels  able  to  demand  more  for 
his  time  ? 

Whatever  the  cause,  the   result  was   admirable,  and 


244  WHICH   WINS 

John's  final  source  of  astonishment  was  that  the  woman 
suffragists  did  not  unite  with  the  labor  organizations 
and  sweep  the  country,  or,  at  least,  come  nearer  such  a 
feat  than  they  had  ever  done  before. 

Meanwhile  Maggie's  love  affair  ripened  with  the  pros- 
pects of  the  people's  party,  and  she  and  Felix  Craig 
promised  to  make  an  admirable  two  in  one,  provided 
they  should  ever  be  rich  enough  to  marry.  Maggie 
could  not  afford  to  give  up  her  work  while  there  were 
so  many  little  mouths  to  fill  at  home,  and  Felix  was 
romantic  in  his  adherence  to  what  Maggie  considered 
the  old-fashioned  idea  that  a  man  must  support  his  wife, 
exclusively.  She  finally  told  him  one  day  that  she 
never  would  marry  him  until  he  gave  up  that  pernicious 
idea. 

"  Then  I'll  give  it  up  immediately,  of  course,"  cried 
Felix  in  dismay  ;  "  but  how  do  you  suppose  I  could  stand 
it  to  see  you  wearing  yourself  out  unnecessarily  ?  " 

"  I  should  not  wear  myself  out,"  replied  Maggie  with 
decision;  "but  do  you  suppose  I  want  to  settle  down 
into  a  financial  nonentity  after  having  earned  my  bread 
so  long  in  the  world  ?  " 

"You  wouldn't  be  a  financial  nonentity,"  exclaimed 
Felix  in  reply  ;  "I  would  make  you  the  banker,  and  give 
you  every  cent  I  earn." 

"  Hum,  would  you  ?  "  cried  Maggie,  while  her  nose 
took  on  a  very  derisive  tilt ;  "  how  long,  I  should  like 
to  know  ?  How  can  I  say  how  far  I  can  trust  you  after 
the  honeymoon  is  over  ?  Besides,  that  would  be  giving: 
I  want  to  earn  my  own  salary." 

"  But,  Maggie,"  insisted  Craig,  "  if  you  stay  at  home 
and  take  care  of  the  house  and  family,  you  earn  "  — 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  know  all  that ;  part  of  it  is  true,  and  part 
of  it  is  stuff  !  "  cried  Maggie  the  strong-minded.  "If  I 
had  children,  I  should  stay  at  home  contentedly  and  take 


MAGGIE'S  INDEPENDENCE  245 

your  salary ;  but  as  long  as  I  had  none,  I  should  much 
rather  be  earning  something,  and  I  can't  see  why  it 
wouldn't  be  the  proper  thing  for  me  to  do.  It  would 
make  me  more  independent :  I  know  you  would  think 
more  of  me,  and  you  never  could  throw  it  up  to  me 
that  you  supported  me  in  idleness,  and  were  in  danger 
of  the  poorhouse  from  my  gowns,"  continued  the  girl, 
thinking  of  what  Marie  had  told  her  of  Ward's  occa- 
sional tirades  at  his  wife  —  "so  there  now!  you  can 
see  for  yourself  I  am  perfectly  just  and  reasonable." 

And  Craig  was  obliged  to  confess  that  there  was  a 
great  deal  of  good-sense  in  Maggie's  statement  of  the 
case,  though  he  could  not  quite  overcome  his  prejudice 
in  regard  to  woman's  sphere  after  marriage,  as  far  as 
the  home  and  the  dish-pan  were  concerned,  or,  as  Maggie 
put  it,  the  dish-pan  and  the  home. 

"  You'd  better  go  to  England,"  she  said  one  day  sar- 
castically ;  "  they  think  spinsters  and  widows  shoujd 
vote  over  there,  but  not  the  married  women.  Oh,  no ! 
A  married  woman  couldn't  possibly  be  anything  but 
her  husband's  echo,  and  so,  of  course,  suffrage  would  be 
of  no  use  to  her." 

"Why,  Maggie!"  cried  Felix  in  a  pained  tone,  "did 
I  ever  say  I  thought  married  women  ought  not  to 
vote  ?  " 

"  No,"  replied  Maggie  cruelly ;  "  but  if  it  isn't  proper 
for  me  to  earn  money,  of  course  it  isn't  proper  for  me 
to  vote ;  if  a  husband's  shadow  can't  have  financial 
independence,  what  would  it  want  with  suffrage,  I 
should  like  to  know,  and  what  could  an  automatic 
dish-washer  and  house-cleaner  do  with  ideas  anyway  ? 
They  wouldn't  go  in  her  husband's  stomach  or  on  his 
back,  and  that's  where  her  province  begins  and  ends,  I 
suppose.  Really,  Felix,  it  would  be  so  awfully  tame  to 
wash  dishes  and  darn  socks  all  the  time,  that  I  am 


246  WHICH  WINS 

afraid  I  should  tear  holes  in  the  roof  for  variety,  and 
so  you'll  have  to  let  me  keep  on  typewriting  till  some- 
thing better  turns  up,  and  for  the  sake  of  the  furniture." 
It  is  safe  to  say  that  inherited  ideas  could  not  stand 
such  relentless  storming  as  this,  and  Felix  was  obliged 
to  give  in,  especially  as  he  gradually  came  to  the  con- 
clusion that,  in  their  condition,  the  practical  sense  was 
all  on  Maggie's  side,  as  it  was.  And  when  later  on  they 
did  consummate  their  union,  no  bride  was  ever  happier 
and  better  contented,  no  wife  more  independent  and 
perfectly  comprehended  than  Maggie.  The  trust  and 
friendship  of  the  young  couple  grew  wider  and  deeper 
with  on-going  time,  and  demonstrated  the  fact  that  in 
marriage,  as  in  every  other  sort  of  a  contract,  a  perfect 
understanding  and  mutual  independence  are  the  most 
lasting  articles  of  agreement. 


A  NEW  KIND  OF  POLITICS  247 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

A   NEW    KIND    OF    POLITICS 

IT  was  fortunate  for  John  that  his  political  entangle- 
ments were  very  absorbing  during  the  days  following 
that  memorable  interview  with  Katherine,  and  that 
various  circumstances  separated  him  from  Ward  for 
some  time.  The  latter  gentleman  found  the  springs 
so  interesting,  or  his  health  so  poor,  that  he  stayed  ten 
days,  though  the  hotel  was  quite  expensive,  and  the 
political  atmosphere  at  home  growing  more  exciting 
every  day.  After  his  return,  moreover,  he  was  so  en- 
gaged in  preparation  for  his  anticipated  nomination  for 
mayor  that  he  was  seldom  seen  at  the  office,  and,  when 
there,  only  came  in  to  look  over  his  mail  and  deliver 
some  necessary  orders,  and  then  hurried  off  again  with- 
out waiting  to  speak  to  any  one. 

John's  state  of  mind,  meanwhile,  can  be  more  easily 
imagined  than  described.  The  certainty  at  which  he 
had  arrived  so  suddenly  and  unexpectedly  that  Ward 
had  bought  the  mortgage  on  his  farm,  opened  such  a 
vista  of  appalling  accusations  and  distressing  possibilities 
before  him,  that  he  shrank  from  the  prospect.  He 
could  not  but  regard  Ward  as  partly  guilty  of  his 
mother's  death,  as  he  had  driven  him  to  extremities 
while  understanding  perfectly  the  circumstances  in 
which  he  was  entangled.  He  had  taken  advantage  of 
his  difficulties  to  wrest  from  him  his  property,  and  with 
such  cold-hearted  reasoning  from  cause  to  effect,  that 
John  shrank  from  the  conception  of  his  friend's  char- 
acter forced  upon  him. 


248  WHICH  WINS 

"  I  gave  him  ray  confidence  frankly,"  he  said  to  him- 
self a  thousand  times  during  that  first  week  of  painful 
knowledge,  "and  he  used  it  wittingly  for  my  destruc- 
tion. It  would  have  been  more  human  to  kill  and  rob 
me  at  once,  but  he  has  condemned  me  to  slow  torture 
without  a  single  pang  of  remorse,  I  verily  believe.  It's 
business,  that's  all." 

Yet  when  John  considered  the  possibility  of  giving  up 
his  place  he  shrank  from  it  for  the  present,  doubly  intol- 
erable as  it  had  become  to  him.  He  had  cast  in  his  lot 
so  entirely  with  Watson  that  he  was  at  present  the  main 
support  of  the  family,  and  rejoicing,  as  he  did,  unself- 
ishly, in  the  comfort  which  surrounded  them,  through 
the  combined  salaries  of  himself,  Watson,  and  Maggie, 
he  dreaded  to  throw  up  his  position  and  remain  out  of 
work  for  any  length  of  time,  as  he  surely  would  at  that 
season  of  the  year,  with  Ward's  enmity  to  contend  with. 
He  must  count  upon  that  he  well  knew,  for  he  realized 
what  would  be  the  wrath  of  a  selfish  and  grasping  man 
who  saw  himself  exposed,  and  faced  the  contempt,  or, 
rather,  the  comprehension  of  one  whom  he  had  grown  to 
look  upon  as  a  sort  of  dependent  crank. 

The  torture  of  those  days  was  very  great.  John  had 
never  recovered  from  the  shock  of  his  mother's  death, 
and  there  were  hours  when  he  seemed  to  see  her  con- 
stantly, as  she  had  looked  during  the  last  months  upon 
the  farm,  and  when  her  eyes  answered  his  with  a  silent 
reproach  which  was  unendurable.  He  knew  that  she 
would  never  blame  him  for  what  had  happened,  yet  the 
conviction  that  she  might  have  lived  many  years  if  she 
had  remained  in  New  York  made  him  feel  as  if  he  had 
murdered  her. 

He  failed  under  the  strain  of  anxiety  so  visibly  that 
kind-hearted  Kose  was  alarmed,  and  racked  her  brain  to 
devise  new  dishes  to  tempt  back  his  departed  appetite ; 


JOHN'S  POLITICAL  ENTHUSIASM  249 

and  Watson  came  home  one  day,  armed  with  a  nauseous- 
looking  black  bottle,  the  contents  of  which  he  recom- 
mended solemnly  for  John's  apparent  "  biliousness." 

Still,  politics  went  on,  business  went  on,  and,  through 
all,  the  torment  of  outraged  confidence  and  treacherous 
betrayal  never  ceased,  so  that  John  wondered  sometimes 
why  his  heart  did  not  stop  beating,  or  his  brain  snap  in 
two.  He  could  not  bring  himself  to  see  Katherine  again, 
and  yet  the  thought  of  her,  defrauded  even  more  basely 
if  possible  than  himself,  added  another  shadow  to  his 
waking  thoughts  and  a  menace  to  his  dreams ;  for  the 
Nebraska  dream,  in  which  he  had  sought  in  vain  to 
succor  her,  recurred  again  and  again  during  these  weari- 
some nights,  with  only  the  additional  calamity  of  his 
mother's  death  to  vary  it. 

John  was  thankful,  sometimes,  that  his  consciousness 
of  other  people's  suffering  was  so  keen,  for  in  it  he  could 
lose  sight  of  his  own,  and  the  speeches  he  made  nightly 
to  crowds  of  listeners  were  enthusiastically  cheered. 
The  Labor  Union  party  had  followed  his  lead,  and,  for 
the  approaching  municipal  contest,  had  prepared  a  ticket 
upon  which  John's  name  appeared  as  alderman,  and  the 
other  offices  were  filled  by  names  chosen  from  among 
the  most  honorable  citizens  of  the  town,  and  selected 
from  all  classes.  The  idea  of  a  people's  ticket  proved 
wonderfully  popular;  and  while  no  one  had  any  idea 
that  the  names  upon  it  could  be  elected  in  opposition  to 
the  candidates  chosen  by  the  regular  parties,  every  one 
was  surprised  by  the  notice  the  movement  received,  and 
the  extent  to  which  the  reforms  it  advocated  seemed  to 
get  into  the  air,  fill  people's  minds,  and  drop  from  their 
tongues.  The  nominations  were  made  by  vote,  and  were 
preceded  by  a  giant  meeting  on  the  public  square,  at 
which  John  made  a  speech  long  remembered  by  those 
who  heard  it,  and  in  which  he  struck  the  keynote  of  the 
campaign. 


250  WHICH  WINS 

"  Friends  and  brothers,"  he  began,  "  we  are  united  by 
a  motto  which  is  as  old  as  civilization  and  as  strong  as 
granite.  '  In  union  is  strength ; '  and  with  this  in  our 
hearts  we  can  carry  all  things  before  us.  The  misery  of 
the  world  arises  not  from  God's  providence,  not  from  the 
sins  of  our  forefathers,  but  from  man's  inhumanity ;  and 
whence  springs  that  inhumanity  ?  from  the  prejudice 
which  comes  from  ignorance,  the  coldness  which  is  attrib- 
utable to  our  own  inability  to  realize  the  sufferings  of 
others. 

"  Dear  friends,  did  you  ever  see  a  great  audience  look 
calmly  on  and  watch  others  perishing,  burning,  drown- 
ing ?  Did  you  ever  witness  an  accident  in  the  coal-mines 
of  Pennsylvania,  where  the  deadly  fire-damp  had  broken 
out  in  the  hidden  passageways  far  down  in  the  bowels  of 
the  earth,  and  hundreds  of  human  beings  stood  massed 
around  the  shaft  of  the  mine,  suffering,  agonizing  with 
those  below,  nay,  offering  life  to  save  them  without  a 
moment's  hesitation  ?  Friends,  I  have  seen  such  a 
throng,  and  there  was  no  coldness  in  it,  no  indifference 
to  wrong,  to  suffering,  to  human  pain,  yet  the  men  and 
women  gathered  there  were  no  ideal  highly  sensitive 
group,  they  Avere  the  flesh  and  blood  of  every  day,  which 
does  the  work  and  suffers  the  pain  of  the  world ;  but  they 
saiv  the  pain,  it  was  before  them,  visible  to  them,  open 
with  all  its  agony  to  their  living  eyes. 

"And  so,  friends,  I  declare  to  you  that  if  you  can 
plainly  tell  one  half  of  the  world  how  the  other  half 
lives,  how  it  suffers,  how  it  strangles  and  dies  daily 
under  the  exactions  of  injustice,  humanity  will  rise  as 
one  man,  and  strike  down  its  oppressions,  and  never  rest 
until  it  stands  free  under  the  face  of  heaven,  free  to 
pursue  its  way  untrammelled  on  the  road  to  health,  hap- 
piness, and  knowledge.  The  incubus  under  which  the 
world  struggles  now  is  a  lack  of  charity,  of  sympathy,  of 


A  PEOPLE'S  CAMPAIGN  251 

comprehension,  and  this  we  have  set  ourselves  to  remove, 
joining  hands  in  an  honest  endeavor  to  destroy  preju- 
dice, open  the  eyes  of  justice  which  have  been  blind  too 
long,  and  show  humanity  the  fiendishness  of  a  selfish 
enjoyment  gained  from  the  limitations  and  torments  of 
others." 

How  long  John  talked  he  never  knew ;  but  certainly 
when  he  paused  at  last  he  was  nearly  carried  from  the 
stand  by  the  enthusiasm  of  his  listeners,  and  he  felt 
that  for  the  moment,  at  least,  he  had  solved  the  problem 
of  class  union. 

The  Labor  Union  men  threw  themselves  into  the 
campaign  with  infectious  spirit,  and  carried  the  war  of 
social  reform  into  ranks  which  they  had  never  thought  of 
penetrating  heretofore,  and  the  members  of  which,  up  to 
that  time,  had  certainly  remained  untouched  by  the  craze 
of  social  reform.  Even  Watson  so  far  caught  the  conta- 
gion of  the  campaign  that  he  made  several  speeches, 
which,  if  the  truth  must  be  told,  were  enthusiastically 
received.  He  went  over  into  West  Kansas  City  one 
afternoon  on  some  business  errand,  and  encountered  the 
crowd  of  employes  in  the  packing-houses,  just  as  the 
whistles  had  sounded  release  from  their  long  day's  labor. 
Watson  knew  well  how  hard  is  the  lot  of  the  packing- 
house employe,  working  long  hours  at  labor  which 
hardens  the  muscles  and  deadens  the  sensibilities,  at  a 
rate  of  remuneration  which  leaves  the  victim  no  chance 
except  the  mere  prolongation  of  brutal  existence.  As 
the  men  filed  out  with  dinner-pails  in  their  hands,  the 
cumulative  effect  of  so  many  faces,  sodden  with  the 
curse  of  excessive  toil,  and  lighted  by  no  gleam  of  a 
hope  of  better  things,  indifferent  to  the  possibility  of 
improved  conditions,  —  it  was  too  much  for  Watson. 
He  sprang  upon  an  empty  barrel,  which  stood  conven- 
iently near,  shouting,  — 


252  WHICH  WINS 

"  Look  here,  you  fellers,  I've  got  somethin'  ter  say  ter 
ye  !  Did  ye  ever  hear  tell  o'  sech  a  thing  ez  workin'  six 
hours  a  day,  an'  gittin'  more'n  ye  git  now  ?  o'  livin'  on 
the  fat  o'  the  land,  with  no  fear  o'  comin'  down  ter  the 
lean  cause  ye  forgot  to  lay  aside  a  slice  o'  the  fat  fur 
to-morrer?  Wai,  that  there's  wot  I'm  a-givin'  ye,  ef 
ye'll  listen  a  minit ; "  he  went  on,  and  a  general  growl  of 
assent  from  the  sullen  faces  about  him  warned  him  that 
he  had  touched  the  right  chord. 

"  I  reckon  ye  ben  trampin',  ain't  ye  ? "  cried  one 
fellow,  hanging  his  dinner-pail  on  the  fence  and  prepar- 
ing to  listen  with  considerable  interest  to  what  should 
follow.  "  I  don't  know  no  one  but  tramps  that  lives  as 
high  as  ye  say,  without  doin'  nothin' ! " 

"  Tramps  !  "  exclaimed  Watson  derisively ;  "  did  ye 
ever  see  a  tramp  work  six  hours  a  day,  I'd  like  ter  ask  ? 
an'  whar's  yer  tramp  livin'  in  a  decent  house,  with  shoes 
on  his  young  un's  feet  an'  a  liberry  to  repose  in  if  he's 
took  a  litererry  turn  in  his  old  age  ?  The  fellers  I'm 
talkin'  about  hez  all  that,  an'  more  too ;  turkey  for 
dinner  every  day,  with  cranberry  sauce  throwed  in  free 
ez  air,  an'  somebody  ter  wash  the  dishes  an'  darn  the 
socks  while  yer  wife  rocks  the  baby  maybe  !  " 

"  Aw,  look  here !  wot  ye  givin'  us  ?  "  interrupted  an- 
other sullenly  ;  "  there  ain't  no  place  whur  a  packin'- 
house  man  gits-  that  kind  o'  livin',  an'  never  will  be,  so 
stop  yer  cussed  foolin' ;  can't  ye  ?  " 

"  I  never  see  a  man  that  low  down  he  hadn't  no  wish 
ter  git  up  ef  he  could,"  cried  Watson  earnestly ;  "  ef 
ye're  livin'  off'n  corn  bread  an'  'lasses,  an'  somebody 
p'ints  ye  on  to  a  side  o'  bacon,  ye  won't  knock  him 
down,  will  ye,  an'  cuss  his  impidence  with  yer  mouth 
full  o'  good  fat  meat  ?  " 

"No,  you  bet!"  assented  another;  "go  on,  an'  bust 
yer  head,  ef  ye  want  ter!"  and  thus  gracefully  adjured, 


WATSON'S  DEMOCRACY  253 

Watson  dashed  off  into  a  spirited  description  of  the 
wrongs  of  the  workingman,  and  the  political  atrocities 
of  the  two  great  parties. 

"  Did  ye  ever  elect  a  man  ter  office  that  cared  anything 
about  ye,  or  wanted  ter  help  ye  up  out'n  the  mire  ye  was 
born  an'  bred  in  ?  "  he  asked  sarcastically ;  "  or  did  any- 
thing but  swill  round  in  the  saloons  at  night,  an'  tell  ye 
how  much  he  loved  the  workin'man  in  the  mornin'  ?  No, 
sir ;  ye  put  in  a  party  man  every  time,  a  feller  that  does 
good  work  fur  the  party,  an'  ye  never  seem  to  think  it's 
the  people  he  orter  do  fur !  Ain't  ye  a  fine  lot  o'  fools, 
now,  livin'  in  a  land  whar  ye  kin  hev  whatever  ye  will, 
an'  send  people  to  Congress  that  kin  make  laws  ter  give 
ye  easy  work  an'  good  pay ;  an'  there  ye  be  blowin'  in  a  lot 
o'  fellers  that  wants  ter  keep  ye  down  ez  low  ez  they 
kin,  an'  make  nothin'  but  cattle  on  ye  ! 

"Talk  about  dynamite  an'  bombs  ter  blow  the  rich 
fellers  inter  a  million  flinders,  wot's  the  use  o'  riots 
when  ye  got  the  best  kind  o'  bombs  right  in  yer  own 
fists  thar !  This  here's  a  land  whar  every  one  on  us, 
bein'  he  ain't  born  a  woman,  hez  a  right  ter  vote  how  he 
pleases ;  an'  did  ye  ever  think  wot  that  thar  means  ?  It 
means  ye  kin  find  men  that'll  make  laws  fur  the  poor 
men,  laws  that'll  legislate  the  millionnaires  out'n  the 
track,  an'  that's  a  heap  pleasanter  way  o'  gittin'  red  on 
'em  than  blowin'  'em  out ;  ain't  it,  now  ?  That's  wot 
our  constitution's  fur,  ter  give  every  one  on  us  a  ekil 
chance  in  the  country ;  but  these  here  politicians,  wot 
wants  ter  make  money  out'n  mankind,  they've  twisted 
an'  turned  things,  till  nobody  thinks  o'  puttin'  up  a  man 
fur  office  cause  the  people  wants  him.  They  puts  him 
up  'cause  they  can  use  him  ter  grind  their  own  particklar 
axes,  an'  bamboozle  folks  inter  'lectin'  him.  Now,  thar's 
some  on  us  wot's  thought  a  lot  'bout  these  yer  things, 
an'  we're  goin'  ter  put  a  ticket  in  the  field  wot'll  mean 


254  WHICH  WINS 

the  rights  o'  the  people  'g'in  the  millionnaires ;  do  ye 
take  that  in? 

"  We're  a'  'lectin'  these  yer  men  fur  all  you  fellers, 
fur  the  sake  o'  that  turkey  an'  cranberry  sauce  I  wor 
a-tellin'  ye  'bout  jist  now ;  an'  you  fellows  wot  wants 
it  '11  vote  fur  'era,  I  reckon.  We  may  not  bust  up  the 
high  mucky-mucks  wot  runs  the  trusts  and  packin'- 
houses  fust  thing,  but  we'll  put  'em  up  next  time, 
and  look  for  you  fellers  to  keep  on  votin'  fur  'em  till 
six  hours  a  day,  or  three  maybe,  looms  up  under  yer 
nose,  with  good  livin'  ter  wash  it  down,  an'  the  million- 
naires a-puttin'  in  their  best  licks  beside  ye  till  ye're 
plumb  through! 

"  That's  wot  the  new  party  means,  an'  no  more  boodle 
politicians  fur  me,  ef  ye  please,  no  more  dymmycratic 
an'  republican  trust  companies,  talkin'  'bout  tariff  reform, 
an'  blowin'  the  money  inter  the  millionnaires'  pockets, 
till  we  ain't  got  but  three  dollars  ahead  in  circulation 
nohow,  an'  gittin'  beautifully  less  at  that !  I'm  fur  the 
people  every  time,  an'  I'm  fur  the  right  of  every  son  on 
us  ter  a  good  livin',  and  free  schoolin'  fur  the  young  uns. 
You  fellers  that  believes  in  that  doctrine  take  these  yere 
tickets  an'  vote  'em,  an'  don't  ye  b'lieve  none  o'  them 
scoundrels  wot  comes  round  with  a  five-dollar  bill,  an' 
tells  ye  their  man's  the  man  fur  the  people !  The 
people's  man's  him  wot  they  ain't  paid  to  vote  fur  every 
time,  an'  the  feller  the  millionnaires  is  doin'  thar  best 
ter  buy  out'n  the  track." 

And  Watson  sprang  from  the  barrel-head,  and  fell  to 
distributing  his  tickets,  delighted  to  see  the  interest 
glowing  in  several  faces,  which  before  had  hardly 
reflected  a  sodden  consciousness  of  existence. 

Watson's  interest  in  the  campaign  was  so  intense  that 
it  hardly  allowed  him  time  to  attend  to  his  ordinary 
avocations,  though  John  warned  him  that  it  was  not 


WATSON  EXPLAINS  THE  SITUATION  255 

worth  while  to  lose  his  place  for  the  sake  of  the  people's 
ticket,  as  it  would  be  soine  time  before  the  following  of 
the  movement  would  be  strong  enough  to  bring  about 
that  ideal  government  "by  the  people  and  for  the  peo- 
ple," which  they  all  desired  so  strongly,  and  under  which 
a  man's  physical  needs  would  no  longer  demand  all  his 
attention.  John  thought  that,  as  a  member  of  a 
corporate  government,  a  man's  anxieties  in  this  direction 
should  be  partially,  at  least,  relieved;  so  that  men  of 
the  sterling  worth  of  Watson  would  no  longer  be  so 
ground  upon  the  wheel  of  poverty  that  the  higher  part 
of  them  could  only  develop  by  snatches,  as  it  were,  and 
even  then  at  the  expense  of  practical  necessities. 
Watson,  however,  made  it  perfectly  clear  to  his  friends 
why  he  became  so  absorbed. 

"  Ye  see,  it's  mankind,"  he  said  ;  "  I  git  down  amongst 
the  slums,  whar  ther's  young  uns  playin'  in  the  gutters, 
an'  dirty  women  dawdlin'  on  the  doorsteps,  with  pale 
little  babies  in  their  arms,  an'  it  jist  does  me  up.  If  I 
could  stan'  all  the  rest,  I  never  could  stan'  the  babies, 
nohow.  It  do  look  like  ef  anything  in  this  here  uni- 
varse  oughter  hev  fresh  air  an'  plenty  ter  eat,  it's  a  baby ; 
an'  when  ye  see  'em  starvin'  an'  dyin'  fur  lack  o'  them 
two  things,  it  jist  turns  ye  sick.  I  see  one  to-day  now : 
the  mother  wor  a  pale  young  thing,  an'  she  wor  a-walkin' 
up  an'  down  on  the  sunny  side  o'  the  street,  the  pore  little 
thing  a-wailin'  an'  a-cryin',  an'  I  sez  to  her,  '  What's  up  ? ' 
sez  I.  '  Oh,  I  lost  my  husband  six  months  ago,'  sez  she, 
'  an'  sense  that  I  ben  a-tryin'  to  sew ;  but  the  baby  it 
frets,  an'  my  room's  sech  a  little  tucked-up  place  I  can't 
do  much,  an'  I'm  afeared  it'll  die  too.' 

"  Her  tears  kep'  a-droppin'  down  all  the  while  she  wor 
a-talkin',  an'  I  jist  couldn't  stan'  it.  I  told  her  to  bring 
the  young  un  over  to  my  house  till  she  got  chirked  up 
a  bit,  an'  she's  in  the  kitchen  this  minit.  I  ain't  got 


256  WHICH  WINS 

much,"  said  Watson  ruefully,  "  but  I  can't  stan'  off 'n  see 
a  baby  die  'thout  doin'  suthin'  fur  it,  nohow." 

Watson's  enthusiasm  was  not  less  overpowering  and 
contagious  than  that  of  some  of  the  regular  Labor  Union 
men.  One  of  tl^em,  called  Ked  Barker,  not  from  a 
predominance  of  gore,  either  in  character  or  appearance, 
but  simply  because  Redfield  was  altogether  too  long  a 
name  for  every-day  use,  came  to  John  shortly  after  the 
mass  meeting,  to  express  his  interest  in  the  cause. 

He  was  a  large,  fair-haired  man,  breathing  good- 
nature and  sympathy  with  every  inhalation  of  his 
powerful  lungs,  and  he  was  eager  to  go  to  work  for  the 
cause. 

"  I  didn't  believe  in  it  at  first,  I  do  say,"  he  confessed ; 
"but,  Thurston,  you've  struck  the  right  note.  That 
speech  of  yours  was  printed  in  full  in  the  Midland 
Mechanic,  and  it's  astonishing  the  people  that  talk  about 
it.  Never  seemed  to  see  the  thing  that  way  before,  but 
the  minute  they  do  see  it  they  know  it's  so.  I  came 
down  town  this  morning  with  Dr.  Mitford ;  he's  one  o' 
the  bigbugs  xip  in  my  neighborhood,  and  he  says  to  me, 
says  he,  'Barker,'  says  he,  'that  young  Thurston  hit 
the  nail  on  the  head,  and  I  believe  I'll  vote  your  ticket. 
I'm  a-getting  awful  sick  of  political  machines  myself, 
and  I'd  like  nothing  better  than  to  'see  a  new  party  on 
its  feet,  working  straight  from  the  people,  without  any 
go-betweens  to  fool  them  out  of  just  representation.' 

"  <  Well,  Doctor,'  says  I,  '  that's  the  way  I  like  to  hear 
a  man  talk,  and  I  hope  there'll  be  more  of  your  class 
that'll  take  a  hold,'  says  I, '  for  we  mean  to  carry  through 
our  reform  till  we  elect  the  president  of  the  United 
States;  and  he'll  be  the  president,  too,  and  don't  you 
forget  it ;  and  not  one  o'  these  puppy  jacks  that  dances 
when  any  one  pulls  a  string.' 

"  And  he  laughed,  and  says  he,  ( There's  half  a  dozen 


A   REFORMER  IN  HOMESPUN  257 

men  I  know  that  will  vote  with  you,  and  I'll  turn  all  iny 
influence  that  way,  and  be  glad  to,'  says  he,  and  with 
that  he  turned  off.  But  I  just  thought  to  myself,  that 
kind  of  talk  tells,  don't  it  now  ?  "  and  the  big  mechanic 
slapped  his  knee  with  an  emphasis  which  would  have 
made  a  nervous  man  start. 

John  smiled  sympathetically.  "  That's  very  encour- 
aging, certainly,  Barker,"  he  said :  "  the  idea  is,  of  course, 
to  reach  all  classes,  and  make  them  understand  that  all 
are  equally  interested  in  the  solution  of  our  economic 
problem ;  that  it  affects  the  millionnaire  as  well  as  the 
workingman,  and  affects  both  not  only  in  character,  but 
in  pocket.  With  the  present  dangerous  contraction  and 
limitation  of  currency  and,  therefore,  business,  things 
cannot  go  on  much  longer  without  a  crash;  and  though 
the  wealthy  man  may  hoard  his  millions  for  a  while, 
when  the  fatal  moment  comes  his  piled-up  capital  will 
have  to  go,  as  well  as  the  cottage  of  the  artisan,  and  it 
is  for  his  interest  to  prevent  such  a  catastrophe.  They 
say  Kome  went  to  pieces  when  the  circulation  reached 
three  dollars  per  capita"  he  added  thoughtfully,  "and 
ours  is  now  only  nine ;  that  looks  rather  ominous,  Eed, 
does  it  not  ?  " 

Barker  laughed  with  a  roly-poly  shaking  of  his  fat 
shoulders  that  was  delightful  to  see.  "  I  tell  you,"  he 
replied,  "  I'm  mighty  glad  I  ain't  a  millionnaire :  I'd  give 
myself  up  to  works  of  charity  pretty  lively,  if  I  was  ! " 

Barker  devoted  himself  to  the  task  of  spreading  the 
good  news  with  an  unctuous  enjoyment,  which  went  far 
toward  insuring  the  success  of  his  propagandist  efforts. 
He  loved  to  buttonhole  a  pale  young  man  going  home  at 
night  with  his  lunch-basket  on  his  arm,  and  thrust  a 
pile  of  tickets  into  his  hand,  with  an  explanation  as  to 
their  purpose ;  and  it  did  his  heart  good  to  see  how 
almost  invariably  the  worn  face  would  flush,  and  the 


258  WHICH  WINS 

tired  eyes  brighten,  as  he  heard  the  story  of  the  league 
of  honesty  against  fraud,  of  generosity  against  selfish- 
ness, of  the  people  against  monopoly.  Barker  never 
failed  to  get  this  in,  and  then  add  emphatically,  "This 
government  of  ours  started  out  to  be  a  government  of 
the  people,  by  the  people,  and  for  the  people;  but 
things  have  reached  such  a  pass  now  that  you  can  only 
call  it  a  government  of  monopoly,  by  monopoly,  and  for 
monopoly." 

He  made  his  advances  as  insidiously  as  possible, 
frequently  asked  his  fore-ordained  convert  how  much 
wages  he  received,  how  many  hours  he  worked,  etc. 
He  was  especially  delighted  if  his  victim,  or  protege,  had 
never  thought  of  his  wrongs,  and  he  had  the  felicity  not 
only  of  rousing  his  sense  of  the  injustice  weighing  upon 
him,  but  of  exposing  to  him  all  the  attractions  of  an 
incoming  system,  under  which  wrongs  would  not  be 
tolerated,  men  should  be  brothers  practically  not 
theoretically,  and  it  would  be  impossible  for  a  capitalist 
to  suck  a  man's  soul  out,  "as  he  would  an  egg,"  said 
Barker  explanatorily,  and  put  it  in  his  strong-box. 

Barker  had,  in  fact,  in  earlier  years,  confessed  to 
anarchical  tendencies  of  rather  a  deep  dye,  but  quite 
harmless  in  their  manifestations ;  and  this  may  explain 
the  delight  he  seemed  to  take  sometimes  in  painting  the 
sufferings  of  the  millionnaires  upon  that  long-expected 
day  when  the  people  should  seize  their  rights,  and 
demand  retribution,  maybe,  for  their  wrongs.  He  never 
wearied  of  dilating  upon  the  character  of  the  millionnaire 
in  general,  and  upon  the  soulless  husk  which  usually 
represented  his  Plutonic  individuality  in  Barker's 
opinion. 

"  If  you  talk  of  human  beings,"  he  would  begin,  with 
a  wink  of  the  eye  which  indicated  that  he  knew  what 
he  was  about,  "  I  pan't  see  how  your  capitalist  comes  in 


THE  SHORTCOMINGS  OF  MILLIONAIRES       259 

at  all,  for  as  far  as  '  human '  is  concerned,  it's  human  to 
be  kind  to  the  oppressed  and  love  your  fellow-man ;  and 
it  ain't  that  to  cut  down  wages  and  go  to  Europe  on  the 
proceeds,  I  guess  ;  and  as  far  as  '  being '  goes,  it's  some- 
thing filled  with  the  life  of  the  universe  and  breathing  it 
out,  I've  heard  tell ;  and  he  certainly  ain't  that ;  he  don't 
breathe  nothing  but  himself  and  his  money-bags,  and  he 
wouldn't  believe  there  was  a  universe,  if  you  took  him 
out  of  it.  So  I  reckon  you'll  have  to  call  him  something 
all  to  himself,  that  the  Lord  ain't  got  nothing  to  do  with, 
and  the  Devil  sent  up  from  below  as  a  specimen  of  the 
lower  regions.  But  it  was  awful  bad  policy  on  his  part," 
he  would  add,  with  a  roll  of  his  fat  shoulders,  which 
illustrated  his  own  enjoyment  of  the  joke,  "  for  if  that's 
the  kind  of  society  they  have  down  there,  I  reckon  we 
don't  none  of  us  want  to  go. 

"  Millionnaires ! "  he  would  add  scornfully,  "  why,  I 
wouldn't  change  with  'em  for  all  they're  worth,  not  all 
of  'em  put  together !  I'd  rather  be  a  poor  man  in 
harmony  with  the  univarse  and  lovin'  my  fellow-creatures, 
than  a  high  mucky-muck  that  has  to  have  a  univarse  to 
himself,  and  a  individual  moon  and  fixed  stars  for  his 
own  particular  use.  That's  the  reason  them  fellows 
suffers  from  ennui  and  gets  blase,"  continued  Red,  with 
a  comical  intonation  indicative  of  his  familiarity  with 
the  millionnaire's  die-a-way  condition.  "  It  must  be 
powerful  monotonous  thinking  of  nothing  all  day  but 
money,  money,  money,  and  dreaming  of  nothing  all 
night  but  cheat,  cheat,  cheat ;  and  I  don't  wonder  them 
fellers  gets  softening  of  the  brain,  and  all  sorts  of  high 
diseases  before  they're  fifty  years  old.  There's  nothing 
that  keeps  a  man  young  like  circulation,"  Red  would 
conclude,  "  and  the  best  thing  is  to  be  right  in  the  midst 
of  mankind,  where  you  can  feel  it  comin'  in  and  goin' 
out  all  the  time.  It'll  keep  you  fat  and  hearty,  and  I'll 


260  WHICH  WINS 

hire  myself  out  to  a  dime  museum  against  any  million- 
naire  you  can  pick  up,  to  prove  if  it  ain't  so ; "  and  Ked's 
smile,  as  he  made  this  daring  proposition,  would  have 
been  sufficient  to  deter  the  most  egotistical  of  mil- 
lionnaires  from  acceptance  of  it. 


A  DEMOCRATIC  PRIMARY  261 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

A   DEMOCRATIC    PRIMARY 

IT  had  been  suggested  to  John  that  he  could  accom- 
plish much  good  if  he  were  really  elected  as  one  of  the 
body  of  aldermen,  and  that  his  success  would  be  com- 
paratively pertain  if  he  were  put  upon  the  ticket  of 
either  of  the  great  parties,  with  the  following  the 
people's  ticket  would  give  him.  He  therefore  consented 
to  try  for  nomination  upon  the  Democratic  ticket.  It 
happened  that  the  same  primary  to  which  John  must 
look  for  his  support  was  the  one  greatly  depended  upon 
by  Ward,  since  he  believed  that  the  instruction  of  dele- 
gates from  this  primary,  which  represented  a  very 
large  ward,  would  decide  his  nomination  for  mayor. 
John  was  not  very  sanguine  of  the  result  in  his  own 
case,  but  he  was  willing  to  make  a  trial  for  the  sake  of 
his  friends.  He  felt  sure  that  the  slate  fixed  up  by 
Ward's  supporters  would  carry  the  primary,  and  he 
doubted  their  willingness  to  vote  for  him,  while  he  was 
not  strong  enough  to  "  pack  "  the  primary  for  his  own 
purposes,  provided  he  had  been  willing  to  make  use  of 
such  methods.  He  discovered,  however,  that  there  was 
a  scheme  on  foot  by  some  opponents  of  Ward  to  seize 
the  primary  and  instruct  for  another  man,  who  was  quite 
strong  with  the  laboring  classes,  though  he  was  not  on 
the  people's  ticket,  and  he  easily  made  an  arrangement 
with  these  gentlemen  by  which  they  should  pledge  him 
their  support  as  candidate  for  alderman. 

He  felt  very  dubious  as  to  the  result,  however.  Ward  was 
an  eminently  safe  candidate,  as  his  "  vested  rights  "  were 


262  WHICH  WINS 

so  large  and  varied  that  he  was  secure  from  the  temptation 
of  "wild  ideas,"  and  certain  to  favor  legislation  pro- 
tective of  property  rights,  and,  though  not  exactly  "  popu- 
lar," he  was  one  of  those  men  of  conventionally  smooth 
exterior  who  make  few  enemies.  Besides,  most  impor- 
tant of  all,  he  could  contribute  a  "  bar'l "  to  the  election 
expenses,  for  Ward's  wealth  had  assumed  such  propor- 
tions, he  had  become  so  anxious  for  distinction  aside 
from  that  which  money  gives,  that  he  was  willing  to 
deviate  from  his  usual  habits  of  parsimony,  and  subscribe 
liberally  to  the  expenses  of  the  campaign,  provided  he 
received  the  nomination  he  desired.  The  liquor  men 
also  were  on  his  side,  while  the  machine  politicians  were 
pronounced  in  his  favor,  and  John  well  knew  that  such 
favor  meant  organization. 

He  went  down  to  the  meeting,  however,  though  it  was 
a  cold  rainy  evening,  and  Kose  besought  him  not  to  go 
out. 

"  We  must  be  ready  to  die  for  our  country,  Eosebud," 
he  cried,  laughing,  as  he  drew  on  his  overcoat.  "I'll 
wear  my  rubbers,  and  I  sha'n't  have  a  chance  to  make  a 
speech,  so  don't  worry  !  " 

Kose  did  worry,  however,  and  her  mother  noticed  that 
her  eyes  were  full  of  tears,  as  she  came  back  to  the 
dining-room  to  put  away  the  supper. 

"  I  reckon  I'd  cry  over  a  man  that  ain't  carin'  nuthin' 
for  me  no  more'n  a  stick  o'  wood ! "  remarked  that 
sympathetic  female  scathingly,  as  Eose  wiped  her  eyes. 

"  Why,  mother,  how  you  talk  !  "  cried  Eose  indig- 
nantly. "  He  cares  for  all  of  us  ;  he's  just  as  kind  as  he 
can  be!" 

"  Oh,  yes  !  he's  kind,"  drawled  her  mother.  "  He 
oughter  be,  I  reckon,  when  the  hull  family's  jist  a-layin' 
tharselves  out  ter  spile  him  !  When  I  wor  a  gal,  it  warn't 
considered  proper  ter  git  mashed  on  a  feller  'fore  he 


THE  IDEAL  PRIMARY  263 

courted  ye,  let  alone  popped  the  question,  but  thar's 
them  thinks  differently  nowadays,"  she  added  mean- 
ingly. 

Rose's  cheeks  flushed  a  deeper  red  at  this  thrust,  but 
she  made  no  reply,  well  knowing  that  the  only  way  to 
parry  her  mother's  cheerful  remarks  was  with  silence. 
Her  thoughts  ran  on  about  the  rain,  however,  for  Eose 
was  greatly  disturbed  on  account  of  John's  constant 
neg^ct  of  himself,  and  considered  that  there  was  no 
need  of  his  giving  up  all  his  time  to  the  people's  ticket, 
especially  when  his  staying  at  home  occasionally  might 
mean  a  resumption  of  those  pleasant  evening  readings 
which  had  been  so  profitable  to  her.  Rose  was  not  a 
politician,  and,  all  unconsciously  to  herself,  John  had 
come  to  fill  a  place  so  large  in  her  life,  that  if  her  care 
for  him,  and  even  worry  about  him,  had  been  taken  from 
her,  there  would  have  been  little  left  just  then  to  make 
existence  bearable. 

"  I'll  stir  up  some  muffins  for  breakfast  anyway,"  she 
concluded,  wiping  her  eyes;  "he  likes  those  most 
always." 

Meanwhile  a  lively  scene  was  transpiring  at  the 
primary ;  both  parties  having  arrived  at  about  the 
same  time,  with  the  intention  of  "  packing  "  the  assem- 
bly. Trouble  was  imminent,  and  it  seemed  to  John  that 
such  a  crowd  of  supporters  could  hardly  be  said  to  have 
the  power  of  expressing  the  will  of  the  people,  though 
they  were  its  usual  exponents  in  politics.  There  were 
negroes  of  every  shade,  size,  and  quality;  "Micks," 
with  the  stains  of  labor  on  their  hands,  and  the  evidences 
of  "  capitalized  "  liquor  in  their  eyes  and  noses ;  boys  of 
all  ages,  delighted  at  the  opportunity  they  anticipated  of 
yelling  their  loudest ;  and,  scattered  here  and  there 
through  the  hall,  John  recognized  some  well-known 
political  bosses,  and  a  sprinkling  of  legitimate  voters, 


264  WHICH  WINS 

who  had  a  right  to  choose  delegates  from  the  ward  in 
question. 

It  happened  that  some  of  the  Ward  party  having  gained 
access  to  the  hall  first,  one  of  their  number  sprang  upon 
the  rostrum,  and,  seizing  the  gavel,  called  the  meeting  to 
order,  and  proceeded  to  the  election  of  a  regular  chair- 
man. Both  parties,  of  course,  nominated  their  man 
vociferously,  and  the  temporary  chairman,  a  bright-eyed 
Irishman,  well  versed  in  political  manoeuvres,  measured 
the  hall  with  his  eye,  and  took  his  cue  correspondingly. 
The  Ward  men,  according  to  previous  arrangement,  were 
gathered  at  the  south  end  of  the  hall,  the  Fuller  men 
occupying  the  north  end — Fuller  was  the  opposing 
candidate  —  and  the  chairman,  seeing  that  the  hostile 
forces  were  most  numerous,  took  his  measures  accord- 
ingly. A  division  of  the  house  being  called  for,  the 
chairman  shouted  the  ayes  and  noes  for  the  Fuller 
champion,  so  that  the  north-end  men  moved  over  in  a 
body  to  vote  "  aye,"  sure  of  their  surpassing  numbers ; 
but  the  Ward  partisans  who  were  thus  behind  the  others, 
and  had  some  big  men  among  them,  put  their  shoulders 
to  their  enemies'  backs,  and  rushed  to  the  north  side 
with  such  unexpected  force,  that  they  carried  a  very 
decided  majority  of  the  audience  with  them,  and  before 
the  Fuller  men  could  recover  speech  from  indignation, 
Ward's  chairman  was  installed,  and  the  battle  of  the 
evening  was  practically  over. 

The  list  of  delegates  was  voted  in  by  acclamation,  the 
chairman  taking  no  account  of  dissenting  voices,  and 
some  enthusiastic  friend  of  Ward's,  who  hoped  to  be 
City  Attorney  if  he  were  elected,  sprang  upon  an  empty 
seat,  and  harangued  the  crowd  in  praise  of  the  successful 
candidate. 

"  Fellow  citizens  ! "  he  cried,  "  I  rise  to  say  a  word  in 
favor  of  our  nominee,  Mr.  Ward.  I  cannot  affirm  that 


MR.   WARD  IN  POLITICS  265 

I  have  known  him  from  boyhood,  since  his  youth  was 
passed  in  New  York  and  mine  in  Mississippi ;  but  I  can 
truly  declare  I  have  known  him  long  enough  to  speak  of 
his  deserts,  and  I  say  to  you  we  can  choose  no  man 
whose  name  will  so  surely  carry  us  to  victory.  His 
course,  since  he  came  ambng  us,  has  been  that  of  a 
modest  and  consistent  business  man.  He  has  grown 
rich  in  our  midst,  and  has  used  his  wealth  for  the 
patronage  of  home  industry,  and  no  one  can  speak  a 
word  against  his  fair  fame  as  a  man  and  a  citizen. 

"  I  have  heard  it  whispered  against  him  that  he  is  a 
'  silk  stocking,'  but,  my  friends,  if  we  had  more  silk 
stockings  like  him,  our  country  would  be  better  repre- 
sented. Mr.  Ward  is  a  gentleman,  it  is  true,  a  gentleman 
by  descent  and  inheritance,  let  me  add,  but  never  for  a 
moment  does  he  forget  that  he  is,  first  of  all,  an  Amer- 
ican citizen,  and  stands  on  a  par  with  his  brothers  in 
the  rights  of  citizenship !  You  all  know  his  record  as 
a  business  man  ;  you  do  not  all  know  his  record  as  a  man 
of  heart  and  generosity  "  (Ward  had  recently  given  a 
thousand  dollars  to  the  Children's  Home,  feeling  that  it 
would  conduce  to  his  popularity  as  a  candidate,  and  was, 
therefore,  'worth  while'),  "and  if  you  did,  the  munifi- 
cent donation  he  has  just  made  to  one  of  our  most 
worthy  charities  would  be  but  the  public  writing  on  the 
wall,  indicative  of  the  charity  which  fills  his  life,  and  in 
regard  to  which  it  may  be  truly  said, '  he  does  not  let  his 
left  hand  know  what  his  right  hand  doeth.' "  ("  No,  you 
bet  he  don't !  "  whispered  Watson  to  John ;  "  he'd  be 
ashamed  ter  let  anything  know  !  ") 

"  Mr.  Ward  is  not  only  the  friend  of  the  poor,"  con- 
tinued his  advocate  growing  warm  with  this  last  burst 
of  oratory,  "  he  is  the  friend  of  the  laboring  man  also, 
and,  while  he  is  a  consistent  temperance  man  himself,  as 
you  are  aware,  he  is  not  one  of  those  selfish  and  unfeel- 


266  WHICH  WINS 

ing  fanatics  who  would  deny  the  workingman  his  glass 
of  beer,  while  he  takes  his  own  champagne  unhindered 
by  the  restrictions  of  the  law,  or  a  meddlesome  police- 
man, who  is  always  ready  to  '  run  in '  the  poor  devil 
that  can't  afford  to  patronize  a  high-toned  bar. 

"  My  friends,  I  will  let  y'ou  into  another  secret  in 
regard  to  our  nominee,  which  I  am  sure  will  win  him 
your  enthusiastic  suffrages.  He  has  voted  the  straight 
Democratic  ticket  ever  since  he  dropped  his  first  ballot. 
[Wild  cheers.]  He  has  never  scratched  a  man.  [Wilder 
cheers.]  The  success  of  the  Democratic  party  has  ever 
been  the  ardent  desire  of  his  heart,  and  to  it  he  has  directed 
his  efforts  enthusiastically,  though  he  has  never  before 
asked  for  an  office.  With  such  a  man  to  head  our  ticket, 
friends,  we  can  march  to  certain  victory,  and  I  say,  three 
cheers  for  the  Democratic  party  !  [enthusiastic  cheering] 
and  three  cheers  for  the  man  who  has  not  scratched  the 
ticket  for  fourteen  years ! "  [Tumultuous  cheering.] 

The  assembly  having  thus  exhausted  its  enthusiasm 
for  Ward,  the  efforts  of  the  aldermanic  candidates  were 
in  order,  and  as  John  listened  to  the  various  speeches, 
he  felt  how  very  small  were  his  hopes.  The  sentiment 
of  the  meeting  was  so  uncompromisingly  democratic 
that  he  realized  what  would  be  its  intolerance  for  a  name 
which  represented  no  vested  rights  whatever,  no  party 
enthusiasm :  nothing  but  ideas  of  social  reform  and  of 
freedom  and  equality  for  all  men.  As  to  the  first,  the 
members  of  this  assembly  saw  no  need  of  it;  for  the 
second,  they  had  no  desire.  Freedom  and  equality  for 
all  men  meant  the  destruction  of  their  political  per- 
quisites, and  the  annihilation  of  the  special  pots  they 
were  trying  to  boil,  and  they  would  be  certain,  therefore, 
to  howl  down  any  candidate  who  represented  ideas  so 
dangerous.  Several  men,  however,  called  for  Thurston, 
and  at  last  one  of  his  friends  rose  to  suggest  placing  his 


JOHN  AS  A   CANDIDATE  267 

name  upon  the  ticket.  Immediately  an  excited  individ- 
ual sprang  to  his  feet. 

"Fellow  citizens!"  he  exclaimed,  "you  ought  to 
know  something  about  this  scoundrel  whom  I  am  amazed 
to  hear  any  one  mention  for  office  in  a  Democratic 
Primary.  He's  the  head  and  front  of  this  people's 
ticket  that's  being  talked  around  by  a  lot  of  traitors 
who  can't  get  any  support  from  the  regular  parties,  and, 
therefore,  try  to  gain  a  little  notoriety  by  crying  them 
down.  He's  an  anarchist,  talks  the  most  dangerous 
sentiments  on  every  occasion,  and  is  putting  more  mis- 
chief into  the  heads  of  the  working-people  than  any 
other  man  in  town.  He  has  no  standing  in  the  commu- 
nity, and  wants  to  get  a  little  respectability  by  having  his 
name  on  a  ticket  made  up  of  law-abiding  citizens.  But  I 
tell  you  he  would  kill  the  whole  ticket,  and  his  election 
would  mean  a  menace  to  the  foundations  of  society.  It 
is  disgrace  enough  that  his  name  has  been  even  men- 
tioned at  a  regular  Democratic  Primary,  and  I  hope  we 
shall  hear  no  more  of  it.  He  represents  a  sentiment 
that  wants  to  be  frowned  down,  or  shot  down,  by  respect- 
able people  everywhere,  and  that  surely  finds  no  parti- 
sans here ! "  And  glaring  about  him  with  a  glance 
which  certainly  hinted  at  nitro-glycerine  and  all  other 
explosive  substances,  the  defender  of  vested  rights  sat 
down  amid  a  chorus  of  cheers  for  the  "Democratic 
party  forever !  "  "  Down  with  the  anarchist !  "  "  Turn 
the  fellow  out ! "  and  kindred  yells. 

Stung  by  the  injustice  of  such  a  reception,  John 
sprang  to  his  feet. 

"  Fellow  citizens  !  "  he  exclaimed,  "  I  won't  ask  for  your 
nomination  if  you  don't  want  to  give  it  to  me,  but  I 
can't  sit  still  and  hear  myself  slandered  in  that  way, 
without  saying  a  word  in  my  own  defence.  I'm  neither 
a  scoundrel  nor  an  anarchist  "  — 


268  WHICH  WINS 

"  Turn  him  out,"  interrupted  some  one. 

"  Are  you  a  Democrat  ?  "  shouted  what  seemed  a  hun- 
dred voices. 

John  stood  still  a  moment  in  great  excitement,  not 
knowing  exactly  what  to  do,  and  disliking  to  be  beaten 
out  of  his  chance  for  defending  himself,  and  at  the  same 
time  of  saying  a  word  which  might  have  its  effect  upon 
some  mind  present  not  too  deeply  rooted  in  party  preju- 
dice. 

As  he  looked  around  upon  the  assembled  faces,  how- 
ever, his  heart  failed  him.  They  glared  at  him  like  wild 
beasts,  with  reddened  eyes  and  hard,  hungry  mouths. 
They  were  evidently  the  off-scourings  of  machine  poli- 
tics, the  creatures  who  never  dream  of  the  possibility  of 
independent  thinking  or  voting,  and  hold  their  votes 
ready  to  sell  to  the  fellow  who  will  pay  most  for  them. 
This  time  they  were  sold  already,  whipped  in  by  the 
political  bosses,  who  had  pledged  the  voters  to  stand  for 
certain  names,  and  to  fight  down  all  others,  without 
regard  to  anything  except  strictly  party  considerations. 
Such  men  were  not  going  to  listen  quietly  to  a  discus- 
sion of  equal  rights  and  the  abuses  of  monopoly.  They 
believed  in  monopoly;  it  cherished  them  and  paid  for 
their  whiskey,  this  time  at  least,  and  they  would  swear 
by  it  to  the  bitter  end. 

John  took  in  the  situation  sorrowfully. 

"  Are  you  a  Democrat  ?  "  came  the  hoarse  cry  again. 

"  No !  I'm  not  a  Democrat !  I  wouldn't  be  a  Demo- 
crat, or  any  other  shameless  thing  that  sells  its  vote 
without  a  thought  for  freedom  or  the  protection  of  free- 
dom's rights,"  cried  John  fiercely,  and  sat  down. 

That  settled  it  without  a  doubt,  and  with  another 
hoarse  cry,  indicative  of  its  disappointment  at  not  being 
able  to  crush  out  of  him  that  one  reactionary  expression 
of  disgust,  perhaps,  the  crowd  turned  its  attention  to 
other  things. 


A  MODEL   ADJOURNMENT  269 

John  lingered,  curious  to  see  the  outcome  of  the  meet- 
ing. The  name  of  a  well-known  saloon-keeper  was 
mentioned,  who  kept  one  of  the  lowest  dives  in  town. 
He  had  been  a  member  of  the  city  council  before,  and 
had  voted  consistently  against  every  ordinance  brought 
up  in  favor  of  the  people,  and  at  variance  with  monopo- 
listic rule. 

«  O'Brien  !  O'Brien ! "  shrieked  the  crowd  with  wild 
enthusiasm. 

O'Brien,  thus  entreated,  mounted  a  seat  and  proceeded 
to  address  his  constituents :  — 

"  Ye  all  know  me,  me  friends,  an'  it's  no  introduction 
we  need,  I'm  thinkin',"  he  began,  with  a  grimace  which 
brought  down  the  house  immediately,  and  called  forth 
sympathetic  assurances  of  "That  we  do,  Pat!"  "Ye'd 
know  me  in  a  blind  alley,  wouldn't  ye,  Pat ! "  "  Give 
us  a  rouser,  Pat ! "  etc. 

Waiting  a  moment  until  the  excitement  subsided 
somewhat,  Mr.  O'Brien  launched  forth  into  one  of  those 
orations  of  traditional  stump  eloquence  which  never 
fails  of  its  effect. 

"  It's  me  that's  the  boy  fur  the  Dimmycratic  party  ! " 
he  cried,  waving  his  hat  in  the  air.  "Sure,  it's  the  party 
I've  voted  fur  iver  since  I  landed  in  this  blissid  coun- 
thry,  an'  many's  the  glass  I've  poured  down  me  throat 
that  was  dhry  wid  shoutin'  the  glories  o'  the  candidates 
that  wint  in  on  the  top  wave  of  enthusiasm  for  Dimmy- 
cratic suprimacy.  It's  the  Dimmycrats  that's  goin'  to 
save  the  counthry,  me  lads,  an'  put  money  in  the  pockets 
av  ivery  mother's  son  av  ye  that  lacks  a  nickel  fur  a 
glass  o'  beer  this  blissid  minnit.  Sure,  we  all  know  the 
Kepublicans  is  dhrivin'  the  counthry  to  ruin  an'  desola- 
tion wid  their  high  tariffs  an'  big  pinsion  bills.  Sure, 
it's  me  that  wouldn't  be  deprivin'  the  poor  sojer-boy  av 
a  pinny  that's  his  just  dues  from  the  land  he  bled  an' 


270  WHICH  WINS 

died  fur ;  but  sure,  the  rest  av  us  is  needin'  pinsions,  too, 
an'  it's  the  good  old  Dimmycratic  party  that  ud  be  fur 
givin'  ivery  wan  av  us  a  chance  at  the  gowld  that's  piled 
up  in  thim  big  vaults  at  Washington  an'  belongs  to  us 
anyway  jist  as  much  as  it  does  to  the  sojers,  me  lads, 
an'  not  leavin'  it  all  fur  the  rats  an'  the  mice,  that  don't 
need  a  pinny  av  it,  an'  ud  be  a  sight  better  pleased  wid 
a  slice  o'  fat  bacon  any  day.  Sure,  I'm  thinkin'  ye'd 
rather  be  dhrinkin'  than  listenin'  to  sich  a  old  guzzler  as 
I  be,  an'  I  move  we  adjourn  to  Pat  O'Brien's  saloon, 
where  ye  can  all  fill  yersilves  full  o'  the  stuff  that  ivery 
man's  hungry  fur,  an'  git  it  widout  a  pinny,  an'  all  for 
love  o'  Pat  O'Brien  an'  the  grand  old  Dimmycratic 
party,"  and  amid  cheers  tumultuous  enough  to  have 
shaken  the  stars  from  the  firmament,  or  ushered  in  an 
era  of  millennial  felicity  for  the  whole  human  race,  Pat 
sprang  down  from  his  perch  and  led  the  crowd  to  the 
dive,  where  he  dispensed  the  cheapest  quality  of  whiskey 
to  the  lowest  description  of  throat,  with  huge  profit  to 
himself  and  much  damage  to  the  community. 

As  the  audience  filed  out  into  the  street  they  passed 
a  small,  pale,  little  lad,  who  stood  on  top  of  a  very  tall 
barrel,  and  persisted  in  shrieking  in  a  painfully  high 
key,  "  Hurrah  for  Thurston  !  Hurrah  for  Thurston !  — 
Who  is  Thurston,  any  how  ?  "  he  demanded  at  last,  evi- 
dently realizing  that  he  was  in  a  very  decided  minority, 
and,  fearful  of  losing  the  crowd,  he  sprang  from  the 
barrel  and  joined  the  procession  headed  for  O'Brien's 
saloon. 

John  and  Watson  separated  themselves  with  difficulty 
from  their  brother  patriots,  and  saw  with  amusement 
the  immaculate  tile  of  Ward  bobbing  up  and  down 
among  his  constituents  as  they  jostled  him  in  their  fear 
of  not  being  first  at  O'Brien's  "treat." 

"Watson,"  asked  John  with  a  sigh  as  they  dropped 


POLITICS  VERSUS  DECENCY  271 

into  comparative  solitude,  "  would  I  have  had  to  do  that, 
if  they  had  pledged  for  me  ?  " 

"I  reckon,"  replied  Watson  sententiously.  "If  ye'd 
sunk  low  enough  ter  git  their  pledges,  I  reckon  ye'd  a 
had  ter  git  low  enough  fur  Pat's  dive.  When  a  feller 
gits  on  the  down  grade,"  he  added,  "thar's  no  tellin' 
whar  he'll  stop,  specially  when  folks  like  Ward  and 
O'Brien's  a-leading  of  him  on.  Don't  I  wish  I  could  be 
thar  though,  an'  see  Ward  set  'em  up,"  he  continued 
with  a  chuckle ;  "  he'll  take  beer,  ye  kin  bet  on  it,  an' 
try  an'  git  the  rest  ter  foller  suit.  The  difference  'twixt 
the  cost  o'  beer  an'  whiskey,  when  ye  got  ter  pay  out 
fur  two  weeks  right  along,  is  considable,  an'  Ward's  bank 
account'll  suffer  ef  he  do  git  in,  considerin'  the  way  he's 
started  out." 

"  But  how  he  must  hate  it ! "  remarked  John  with  a 
shudder;  "Ward  detests  coarseness  in  others  as  thor- 
oughly as  any  one  I  know,  and  what  a  price  he  will  pay 
for  his  popularity !  " 

"Yes,"  grunted  Watson  ill-humoredly;  "but  he's 
coarse  enough  inside  to  stand  it.  When  a  feller's 
coarseness  is  all  outside  he  may  manage  ter  git  inter 
heaven  'thout  much  trouble,  but  when  it's  all  inside  an' 
he  prides  hisself  on  his  'polished  exterior,'  he's  got  a 
mighty  slim  chance  accordin'  ter  my  notion,  an'  the 
angel  Gabriel's  pretty  apt  ter  slam  the  door  in  his  face 
an'  send  him  whar  he'll  git  his  varnish  melted  off." 


WHICH  WINS 


CHAPTER  XXX 

AN    UNEXPECTED    DISMISSAL 

THE  morning  after  the  primary  John  went  down  to 
the  office  with  a  prescience  of  misfortune  weighing  upon 
him.  He  had  hardly  exchanged  a  word  with  Ward  since 
the  evening  of  Katherine's  unintentional  revelation,  but 
he  felt,  nevertheless,  that  his  former  friend  was  deeply 
irritated  over  his  political  career,  and  that  his  apparent 
opposition  to  the  successful  candidate  the  evening  before 
had  possibly  snapped  his  patience.  Sure  enough,  he  had 
not  been  at  his  desk  very  long  when  Ward  came  in,  and, 
favoring  him  with  an  exceedingly  gruff  good-morning, 
asked  him  to  step  into  his  private  office.  John  rose 
with  an  odd  feeling  which  was  more  than  half  humorous, 
as  he  realized  that  this  man  who  had  robbed  him  of  his 
entire  means  of  support  was  about  to  put  the  climax  to 
his  own  meanness  and  the  moral  absurdity  of  the  situa- 
tion, by  dismissing  him  for  a  political  difference  of 
opinion. 

John's  characteristic  generosity  rather  deserted  him 
at  this  juncture,  moreover,  and  he  waited  for  his  old 
friend  to  speak  with  some  curiosity  as  to  how  he  would 
introduce  the  subject,  and  determined  to  give  him  no  aid 
in  approaching  it.  There  was  no  hesitancy  on  Ward's 
part,  however.  He  was  too  full  of  rage  at  John's  atti- 
tude at  the  meeting  of  the  preceding  night  to  remember 
anything  else.  It  would  have  been  bad  enough  if  any 
employe  had  dared  to  take  an  interest  in  politics  on  the 
side  opposed  to  his  own,  but  that  John  should  do  it,  and 


THE  EIGHTS   OF  AN  INFERIOR  273 

actually  think  of  standing  on  the  contesting  ticket,  was 
doubly  unpardonable,  for  Ward  had  so  habituated  him- 
self to  look  upon  his  equal  of  other  days  as  a  dependent 
inferior  of  late,  that  he  could  no  longer  conceive  of  his 
having  filled  any  different  relation  toward  him. 

"  Thurston,"  he  said,  "I  think  you  went  a  little  too 
far  in  your  political  enthusiasm  last  night.  I  won't 
keep  a  man  in  my  employ  who  absolutely  opposes  me  in 
my  political  career,  and  speaks  insultingly  in  a  public 
place  of  the  party  I  choose  to  represent.  So  I  prefer  to 
dissolve  our  business  connection." 

John  bit  his  lip  for  an  instant.  Ward's  words,  and 
especially  his  manner,  were  hard  to  swallow.  But  he 
controlled  himself  and  said  even  pleasantly,  "  I  expected 
this,  Ward,  and  bear  you  no  ill-will,  I  assure  you." 

"  Ill-will,"  replied  Ward  coolly ;  "  humph !  I  don't  see 
why  you  should,  I'm  sure.  I've  kept  you  longer  than 
most  men  would  under  the  circumstances,  and  you'll  be 
paid  your  wages  in  full." 

"  Ward ! "  cried  John,  for  this  was  a  little  too  much, 
"you  forget  whom  you're  talking  to :  you  have  no  right 
to  speak  to  me  in  that  tone." 

"Well,  I  don't  think  I  can  be  mistaken  in  your  iden- 
tity, Parsifal,"  exclaimed  the  other,  laughing  disagree- 
ably ;  "  there's  not  such  another  crank  as  you  in  town. 
I  suppose  you  would  take  everything  I  could  do  to  you 
without  losing  patience,  however,  as  a  part  of  the  quest 
after  the  wonderful  Grail  you  are  to  find  somewhere  to 
repay  you  for  all  these  earthly  sufferings  and  privations. 
I  remember  you  said  once  you  never  would  be  happy 
until  you  were  reduced  to  the  condition  of  the  poorest 
beggar  in  the  land,  and  so  I  suppose  I  am  really  doing 
you  a  kindness  by  helping  to  put  you  there." 

John's  cheeks  flushed.  "Ward,"  he  said  slowly,  "I 
never  expected  to  have  you  throw  those  careless  words 


274  WHICH  WINS 

back  to  me  in  that  way,  but  I  deserve  them  for  having 
been  mean-spirited  enough  to  stay  in  your  employ  so 
long.  I  have  known  for  several  weeks  that  you  bought 
the  mortgage  on  my  farm,  and  turned  us  out  with  my 
mother  in  her  death  agony,  and  with  that  knowledge  I 
have  stayed  on  in  your  employ  because  I  had  not  force 
enough  to  leave  it.  Nothing  you  can  say  to  me  can  be 
half  so  severe  as  my  own  reproaches,  so  do  not  hesitate 
to  speak  freely." 

Ward  grew  white  to  the  lips  as  he  heard  John's  con- 
fession. He  had  never  dreamed  of  the  possibility  of 
discovery  in  his  treachery,  he  had  planned  his  operations 
so  cleverly. 

"  How  did  you  find  that  out  ? "  he  cried  in  a  rage. 
"  You  are  a  spy ;  you  are  like  all  the  rest  of  your  sanc- 
timonious, sneaking  kind.  That  is  of  a  piece  with  your 
gambling  in  Berlin ;  you  have  spied  upon  me  to  good 
purpose,  and  now  you  will  take  huge  delight  in  speechi- 
fying over  my  shortcomings,  and  making  capital  for 
your  ridiculous  people's  ticket ! " 

Ward  stopped  suddenly  because  he  was  so  furious  that 
the  words  he  wished  to  utter  stuck  in  his  throat,  and  he 
sat  angrily  tearing  to  bits  the  papers  on  the  desk  before 
him. 

"I  have  not  spied  upon  you  at  all,  Ward,"  replied 
John,  smothering  his  contempt  as  best  he  could,  and 
looking  around  as  he  spoke,  conscious  that  Watson  had 
opened  the  door  and  closed  it  again.  "  I  found  the  matter 
out  by  the  purest  accident.  I  can't  say  that  I  forgive 
you  for  it,  bitter  as  it  is  to  me,  and  I  should  not  have 
stayed  here  knowing  it,  and  saying  nothing  to  you  about 
it.  But  rest  assured,"  he  added,  "I  shall  never  make 
any  use  of  the  knowledge.  I'm  not  the  man  to  put  my 
personal  misfortunes  into  a  political  campaign,  and  I 
suppose  it  is  a  little  small  of  me  even  to  mention  the 


WARD  TAKES  THE  FINAL  STEP  275 

affair,  under  the  circumstances  ;  but  you  shouldn't  have 
gone  on  abusing  me." 

Ward's  color  had  changed  from  white  to  red  and  back 
again  to  white  several  times  while  John  spoke,  and,  as 
he  concluded,  he  took  up  a  pen  to  write  a  check,  pressing 
his  lips  firmly  together  as  he  did  so.  "  This  interview 
had  better  end  as  soon  as  possible,"  he  said,  handing  him 
the  check ;  (i  it  is  very  disagreeable  to  me." 

"  And  to  me  also,"  answered  John.  "  I  want  you  to 
understand,  Ward,"  he  added,  as  he  folded  the  check 
and  put  it  in  his  pocket,  "  that  I  take  this  money  you 
proffer  so  insultingly  as  a  very  small  portion  of  what 
you  owe  me.  I  consider  that  you  have  robbed  me  of  my 
fortune  as  wickedly  and  dishonestly  as  if  you  had  taken 
my  purse  from  my  pocket ;  but  I'm  free  to  say  I  would 
rather  be  myself  than  you  in  the  transaction." 

Ward  turned  his  back  to  his  former  friend  with  a 
muttered  oath,  and  John,  pausing  to  take  some  little 
belongings  from  his  desk,  left  the  office.  Watson  joined 
him  at  the  door  with  a  countenance  so  angry  that  John 
looked  at  him  in  astonishment. 

"  Mr.  Thurston  !  "  he  cried,  "  wot  kind  of  a  man  be  ye 
anyhow  ?  That  scoundrel  took  yer  farm  an'  ye  not 
shootin'  the  gizzard  out'n  him  ?  wot  ye  made  on,  I'd  like 
ter  know  ?  " 

"  Did  you  hear  that,  Watson  ? "  exclaimed  John  in 
surprise.  "  Don't  say  anything  about  it,  I  beg  of  you," 
and  finding  that  Watson's  wrath  could  not  abate,  he  told 
him  how  he  had  discovered  Ward's  treacherous  conduct. 

"I  was  as  angry  as  you  are  when  I  found  it  out, 
Watson,"  he  added ;  "  but  some  way  it  doesn't  seem 
worth  while  to  stay  hot  over  things  we  can't  help  in  this 
world,  and,  though  I  bear  Ward  considerable  of  a  grudge, 
I'm  afraid  I  shouldn't  care  to  shoot  the  gizzard  out  of 
him." 


276  WHICH  WINS 

"  It's  lucky  ye  kin  look  at  it  that  way,"  said  Watson 
wrathfully  ;  "  but  ef  he  comes  in  my  direction,  I'll  show 
him  a  thing  or  two  that'll  let  some  light  inter  that  black 
head  o'  hisn,"  and  Watson  doubled  up  his  fists  in  a 
fashion  that  boded  no  good  to  Ward. 

Meanwhile  that  gentleman  was  in  far  from  a  happy 
frame  of  mind.  It  is  not  pleasant  to  be  a  knave,  and 
realize  that  people  are  aware  of  one's  treachery,  espe- 
cially when  one's  manner  to  the  enlightened  party  has 
always  been  full  of  a  consciousness  of  beneficent  and 
rather  ill-deserved  patronage.  Ward  had  pleased  himself 
with  thinking  of  John  as  a  harmless  incapable,  who, 
without  his  protecting  care,  would  have  been  thrown 
helpless  upon  an  unfeeling  world ;  and  to  have  a  mirror 
suddenly  held  up  before  him  in  which  he  saw  himself 
in  his  true  character  as  guilty  of  unpardonable  treachery 
toward  a  generous  and  trusting  friend,  was  more  than  he 
could  bear.  He  had  never  before  been  painted  to  his 
own  consciousness  in  such  glaring  colors,  and  he  felt  as 
though  his  soul  were  scorching  to  ashes  under  his  own 
eyes.  Presently,  however,  habit  began  to  resume  its 
sway,  and  the  motives  and  standards  which  were  his 
daily  guides  made  themselves  heard  once  more. 

"  It  was  merely  a  business  transaction  all  around,"  he 
said  to  himself,  looking  uneasily  out  of  the  window, 
where  a  cat  sat  sunning  herself  on  the  roof ;  "  Thurston 
must  always  put  on  such  high  tragedy  airs  about  every- 
thing !  As  if  I  hadn't  a  right  to  dismiss  a  clerk  who  is 
disagreeable  to  me,"  he  added  after  a  while,  placing  him- 
self before  the  fireplace  in  his  characteristic  attitude  ; 
"Thurston  has  been  making  unpleasantly  personal  re- 
marks for  some  time,  and  I  ought  to  have  gotton  rid  of 
him  before,"  his  reflections  went  on.  "  He  always  thought 
he  knew  a  little  more  than  any  other  fellow,  and  he's 
put  enough  of  his  cursed  nonsense  into  Katherine's 


AN  IGNORANT  SELF-COMPLACENCE  277 

head  to  ruin  my  life ;  "  and  Ward  fell  into  a  mood  of 
self-pity  which  was  rather  absurd,  considering  the  amount 
of  suffering  which  had  so  far  fallen  to  his  lot  in  the 
world. 

"  After  all,  Thurston  would  have  been  sold  out  whether 
I  bought  his  mortgage  or  not,"  he  reflected,  stroking  his 
long  black  mustache ;  "  and  I  don't  know  as  there  is 
any  thing  particularly  bad  in  my  having  the  advantage 
of  it.  Parsifal  could  never  keep  a  penny  anyway,  and 
he  may  thank  his  stars  that  I  have  saved  him  from 
beggary  till  now." 

But  underneath  all  Ward's  reflections  was  the  unac- 
knowledged conviction  coming  more  and  more  comfort- 
ingly to  the  surface,  that  John  would  never  tell,  that  the 
secret  of  his  duplicity  was  safe,  and  that  in  the  eyes  of 
the  world  Stephen  Ward,  capitalist  and  candidate  for 
mayor,  was  as  honorable  a  man  as  if  he  never  had  violated 
the  confidence  of  a  friend,  nor  abused  the  sacred  trust  of 
the  inexperienced  girl  he  had  married.  That  conviction 
rapidly  repaired  the  lacerations  of  his  outraged  vanity, 
and  by  the  time  his  head  clerk  came  in  with  the  noon 
mail,  and  a  deferential  jest  at  his  diligence  so  near 
election  day,  Ward  was  himself  again,  and  had  quite 
forgotten  that  any  one  could  hesitate  at  changing  places 
with  him. 


278  WHICH  WINS 


CHAPTER  XXXI 

A   WEDDING    IN    THE    WATSON    FAMILY 

THE  great  event  of  the  season  in  the  Watson  family 
was,  of  course,  Maggie's  marriage.  Not  that  it  was  a 
brilliant  affair ;  on  the  contrary,  the  young  couple  were 
very  sensible.  Katheriue  herself  insisted  on  providing 
the  wedding-dress,  a  pretty  white  nun's  veiling,  and 
came  in  person  to  see  that  it  was  put  on  properly ;  but 
aside  from  Katherine  and  a  few  of  Felix's  relatives, 
there  were  no  invited  guests.  There  was  a  collation, 
however,  upon  which  Eose  displayed  all  her  skill,  and 
at  which  finger  bowls  actually  appeared,  since  Katherine, 
knowing  Kose's  weakness,  loaned  some  of  her  best  for 
the  occasion.  Flowers  were  seen  in  abundance  also,  for 
John  had  provided  what  Maggie  considered  an  extrava- 
gant quantity,  and  Felix's  brother,  a  young  printer,  who 
acknowledged  a  frank  admiration  of  Maggie,  sent  in  a 
box  at  the  last  minute,  so  that  really,  as  Eose  said,  the 
flower  part  of  the  wedding  was  "  awfully  swell." 

The  young  Episcopal  clergyman  who  performed  the 
ceremony,  and  whose  acquaintance  Eose  had  made 
through  certain  Sunday-school  proclivities  which  she 
indulged  in,  though  they  were  severely  frowned  upon 
by  the  more  strong-minded  members  of  the  family,  was 
rather  surprised  by  the  evidences  of  refinement  he  saw 
about  him  in  a  home  of  such  humble  pretensions.  They 
were  evidences  of  rather  a  mixed  character,  to  be  sure, 
for  Karl  Marx,  and  Shelley  lay  upon  the  parlor  table 
side  by  side  with  a  volume  of  the  poet  Herbert,  which 


SOME  CLERICAL  CRITICISM  279 

the  young  clergyman  assured  Rose  was  excellent  read- 
ing. 

"  I  like  him,"  said  Rose,  "  and  so  does  Mr.  Thurston ; 
but  father  and  Maggie  can't  see  anything  in  him. 
Maggie  likes  Shelley  better  than  any  one.  She  says  he 
was  more  of  an  anarchist  than  Karl  Marx." 

"And  is  that  her  reason  for  liking  him  ?"  asked  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Brown,  with  a  shocked  expression  which 
amused  Rose  exceedingly ;  for  in  spite  of  her  simplicity, 
and  the  predilection  for  cooking  which  Maggie  scorned, 
Rose  was  far  from  being  a  fool,  and  could  not  very  well 
help  having  opinions  upon  social  reform,  in  the  atmos- 
phere she  breathed. 

"  Well,  I  think  that  has  a  good  deal  to  do  with  it," 
she  replied,  laughing;  "she  says  she  ain't  no  use  for 
Tennyson  sence  he  turned  a  lord ;  she  thinks  poet  ought 
a  ben  good  enough  for  him." 

"Why,  he  simply  accepted  the  distinction  due  his 
genius,"  returned  the  young  minister  seriously.  "  Isn't 
it  a  little  narrow  to  object  to  that  ?  Must  we  all  avoid 
public  recognition  of  our  merits,  to  suit  your  sister's 
ideas  of  social  reform  ?  " 

"But  it  seems  rather  a  small  thing  to  be  a  lord,  after 
having  been  such  a  great  poet,  doesn't  it  ?  "  asked  Rose 
somewhat  puzzled.  At  that  moment  one  of  her  younger 
sisters  came  to  whisper  that  Maggie  was  ready  for  the 
ceremony,  and,  glad  of  an  excuse  to  end  the  conversation, 
in  which  she  had  not  felt  exactly  at  ease,  Rose  hurried 
off  to  attend  the  ushering-in  of  the  bride. 

Rose  had  profited  much  by  her  lessons  at  night  school 
and  John's  assistance  at  home,  and  she  was  growing  very 
sensitive  about  her  English,  and  anxious  to  drop  the 
vernacular  in  which  she  had  been  born  and  bred  as 
thoroughly  as  Maggie  had  done.  People  like  Mr.  Brown 
always  made  her  conscious  of  her  defects,  and  brought 


280  WHICH  WINS 

the  vernacular  uppermost  in  the  conversation  as  it 
usually  was  in  her  thoughts.  While  if  she  talked  with 
Katherine  or  young  Craig,  her  English  was  often  beyond 
reproach. 

Maggie  looked  very  pretty  as  she  stood  before  the 
little  fireplace  on  the  arm  of  her  proud  young  husband, 
and  Katherine  was  led  into  many  reflections  upon  the 
real  value  of  hereditary  traits  in  a  country  where  so 
much  tends  to  do  away  with  them,  while  she  looked  at 
their  happy  faces.  As  the  ceremony  ended,  and  the 
clergyman  wished  them  joy  in  their  union,  he  could 
not  avoid  speaking  with  unusual  warmth,  the  bond  he 
had  just  united  was  so  evidently  one  of  hearts  as 
well  as  hands.  A  little  later  they  all  stood  around 
the  table  where  the  simple  wedding-feast  was  daintily 
spread,  and  the  clergyman  wondered  again  as  he  reflected 
that  the  father  of  the  bride  was  a  hard-working  man, 
the  husband  a  carpenter,  and  all  present,  he  feared,  were 
socialists  of  a  rather  deep-dyed  type ;  at  least,  the  books 
he  had  seen,  and  the  tenor  of  many  remarks  he  had 
heard,  led  him  to  that  conclusion. 

He  stood  lost  in  such  reflections,  and  contemplating  a 
large  slice  of  frosted  cake,  which  represented  the  acme 
of  Rose's  art,  and  was  a  grand  success,  as  she  was  joy- 
fully thinking,  when  some  one  asked  him  a  question. 

"  Have  you  heard  of  our  people's  ticket,  Mr.  Brown  ?  " 
said  young  Craig,  the  brother  of  the  groom. 

"  Of  what  ?  "  replied  the  clergyman  in  surprise.  "  I 
don't  think  I  understand  you." 

"  Of  our  people's  ticket,"  continued  the  young  man. 
"  You  know  the  Labor  Union  men  have  put  a  ticket  into 
the  field  this  spring,  which  they  think  will  carry  the 
city  against  both  Democrats  and  Republicans  "  •  — 

"  Oh,  hold  on  now  —  we  don't  quite  expect  to  do 
that ! "  interrupted  his  brother  warningly. 


A  REPUBLICAN  CLERGYMAN  281 

"But  you  don't  know  what  we'll  do;  we're  painting 
the  town  red  anyhow.  Has  it  made  any  impression  on 
your  congregation,  Mr.  Brown  ? "  continued  the  ques- 
tioner, rather  mischievously. 

"I  believe  I  have  heard  of  it,"  replied  Mr.  Brown 
with  some  stiffness  ;  "  but  I  am  not  much  interested  in 
politics,  you  know ;  my  work  lies  in  another  direction." 

"  But,  Mr.  Brown,"  said  John,  who  had  listened  to  the 
conversation  with  some  interest,  "this  is  not  exactly 
politics,  you  see,  it  is  rather  an  effort  for  pure  govern- 
ment, and,  as  such,  I  should  think  it  ought  to  claim  the 
interest  of  the  clergy  especially." 

"  Yes  ?  "  interrogated  Mr.  Brown ;  "  but  I  am  a  Repub- 
lican, as  my  father  was  before  me,  and  I  have  not  yet 
seen  any  reason  for  changing  my  politics.  I  don't  think 
it  well,  either,  to  bring  politics  into  the  pulpit.  I  should 
offend  many  of  my  parishioners,  you  know,  and  thus 
lose  all  chance  of  benefiting  them,  and  my  first  work  is, 
of  course,  that  of  saving  souls." 

"  But  do  you  think  in  these  days  a  man  ought  to  be  a 
Eepublican  because  his  father  was  one  before  him  ?  " 
asked  John  courteously. 

The  minister  flushed  a  little.  "  I  do  not  consider 
politics  my  business,"  he  said  a  trifle  brusquely,  "and 
really  the  country  is  governed  about  the  same  by  either 
party.  The  difference  is  not  much  more  than  a  name, 
anyway,  it  seems  to  me." 

"  There  you  are  undoubtedly  right,"  said  John  ;  "  but 
did  it  never  occur  to  you  that  the  country  could  be 
governed  a  great  deal  better  than  it  is  by  either 
party  ?  " 

"  No,"  replied  Mr.  Brown  with  some  uneasiness. 
"  I'm  not  much  of  a  radical,  Mr.  Thurston,  and  am 
greatly  inclined  to  take  things  as  they  are." 

"  But  you   are   a  Christian,  and   an   earnest  one,   I 


282  WHICH  WINS 

think,"  responded  John  with  some  eagerness,  "and  are 
therefore  concerned  in  the  spiritual  development  of  the 
whole  people."  ' 

"Of  course,"  replied  the  young  clergyman;  "but  I 
don't  see  what  that  has  to  do  with  the  Republican 
party." 

"Everything,"  said  John  earnestly.  "Do  you  like 
the  flavor  of  this  cake  ? "  he  added,  pointing  to  the 
crumbs  upon  Mr.  Brown's  plate,  which  alone  remained 
to  testify  to  his  relish  of  the  large  slice  he  had  eaten. 

"  Indeed  I  do,"  replied  the  clergyman,  with  more 
decision  than  he  had  shown  upon  any  topic  before  men- 
tioned; "and  as  I  understand  that  Miss  Eose  is  its 
baker,  I  should  like  to  eat  another  slice  in  her  honor." 

"  You  certainly  shall  have  the  privilege,"  cried  John, 
laughing,  as  he  seized  a  passing  plate  of  cake;  "  and  now 
do  you  think  you  could  have  succeeded  as  well  as  Eose, 
with  the  same  ingredients  to  work  with,  and  turned  out 
an  equally  delicious  compound  ?  " 

"  I ! "  exclaimed  the  clergyman,  "  why,  I  never  made 
a  bit  of  cake  in  my  life !  I  never  thought  of  such  a 
thing ! " 

"Exactly,"  said  John  smiling;  "so  I  say  that  the 
Democratic  and  Eepublican  parties  have  never  thought 
of  the  problem  they  are  supposed  to  be  solving.  They 
hold  in  their  hands  the  government  of  the  people,  and 
it  has  never  occurred  to  them  apparently  that  governing 
the  people  does  not  mean  filling  the  offices,  distributing 
the  patronage,  and  spending  the  money  of  the  people  ; 
but  it  does  mean  developing  our  resources  to  their 
highest  point,  taking  every  trammel  from  the  growth  of 
our  civilization,  putting  our  lands  in  the  hands  of  the 
nation  —  do  you  think  it  ever  has  ?  "  he  asked,  stopping 
himself  hastily  with  a  feeling  that  he  was  giving  his 
clerical  vis-a-vis  an  unnecessary  shock. 


SOME  POLITICAL  MORALITY  283 

"  But  I  don't  see  what  all  this  has  to  do  with  spiritual 
development,"  remarked  Mr.  Brown  with  a  superior 
air. 

"It  seems  to  me  you  will,  if  you  think  of  it  a 
moment,"  responded  John,  feeling  that  he  must  be  on 
his  guard  and  not  speak  too  earnestly  to  this  careful  and 
conservative  young  ecclesiastic.  "One's  spiritual  de- 
velopment must  stand  on  a  very  material  foundation. 
You  do  not  find  St.  Cecilias  upon  the  cannibal  islands ; 
you  see  them  springing  from  races  which  have  reached 
the  highest  pitch  of  social  development  and  aesthetic 
refinement ;  and  it  seems  to  me  natural,  therefore,  that 
the  more  widespread  you  make  comfort  and  ease  of 
living,  the  broader  you  will  lay  the  substructure  for  a 
development  of  spirituality." 

"  I  can't  agree  with  you,  really,  Mr.  Thurston,"  replied 
the  clergyman  with  considerable  sharpness.  "  The 
Lord  touches  the  hearts  of  whom  he  pleases,  and  his 
choosing  is  not  guided  by  the  material  prosperity  of  any 
class.  All  men  are  alike  in  the  eyes  of  the  Lord,"  he 
added  with  a  saintly  air.  "  He  would  be  the  last  to 
favor  the  well-to-do  in  spiritual  things." 

"You  don't  understand  me,  Mr.  Brown,"  said  John 
with  a  hopeless  feeling.  "I  should  be  very  far  from 
imputing  such  narrow-mindedness  to  the  All-father,  but 
surely  as  you  make  culture  and  refinement  more  general, 
you  lift  the  masses  to  a  point  where  comprehension  of 
the  Over-soul,  and  all  which  that  implies,  becomes 
possible." 

"  I  think  differences  of  outward  condition  are  a  part 
of  our  life  here,  Mr.  Thurston,"  said  the  minister,  still 
more  coldly,  "  and  God  never  intended  them  to  be 
abolished.  I  should  not  care  to  take  part  in  any  organi- 
zation for  that  purpose.  Miss  Rose  !  "  he  cried,  detaining 
the  young  woman  pointedly  as  she  came  by,  "  let  me 


284  WHICH  WINS 

congratulate  you  once  more  upon  your  cake  ;  the  second 
piece  was  better  than  the  first." 

John  bit  his  lip  and  muttered  something  not  exactly 
complimentary  about  ministerial  obtuseness,  but  turning 
suddenly  he  caught  Katherine's  eye.  He  had  not  seen 
her  since  that  memorable  evening  of  her  revelations, 
and  the  handclasp  they  had  exchanged  a  few  moments 
before  had  been  the  first  expression  of  sympathy  they 
had  been  able  to  give  each  other.  John  had  thought  of 
her  often  with  deep  pity  for  her  condition,  and  longing 
for  her  companionship,  but  he  had  felt  it  impossible  to 
seek  her  under  the  circumstances.  Moreover,  his  rela- 
tionship with  her  had  been  always  so  largely  ideal 
and  imaginary,  that  he  had  grown  accustomed  to  a 
thought  communion  which  he  took  it  for  granted  was 
mutual,  and  did  not  so  much  need  an  opportunity 
for  explanation  and  confidence,  the  lack  of  which  had 
been  keenly  felt  by  Katherine,  without  acknowledging 
it  to  herself.  She  had  wondered  why  John  did  not  send 
her  some  manifestation  of  his  continued  interest  and 
friendship,  and  in  her  forlorn  and  friendless  situation 
the  entire  cessation  of  his  visits  had  been  a  real  loss. 

Therefore  she  looked  forward  eagerly  to  Maggie's 
wedding,  and  the  chat  they  would  be  sure  to  have, 
which  would  quiet  some  doubts  and  queries.  They 
were  unrecognized,  but  still  occasionally  announced 
their  presence  in  her  consciousness.  Did  he  understand 
her  mood  the  other  night,  and  forgive  the  confidences 
regarding  her  husband  into  which  she  had  dropped,  or 
did  he  condemn  her  for  them,  and  consider  her  false 
and  indelicate  ?  Such  questions  tortured  Katherine,  in 
spite  of  her  knowledge  of  Parsifal's  character,  and  added 
to  them  was  the  never-ceasing  wonder  as  to  the  cause  of 
the  excitement  in  which  he  had  left  her,  and  which  she 
could  not  but  connect  in  some  way  with  her  husband's 


A   CLASP  OF  THE  HAND  285 

irritated  feeling  against  John.  As  he  sat  down  beside 
her,  she  extended  her  hand  once  more,  while  her  eyes 
rilled  with  tears. 

"You  don't  know  how  good  it  seems  to  see  you 
again,"  she  said  simply ;  "  it  is  so  long  since  you  were 
at  the  house,  and  so  many  unfortunate  things  have 
occurred  since  then." 

"  Don't  let  us  think  of  them  now,"  John  said,  looking 
so  happy  and  at  rest  that  Katherine  had  not  the  heart  to 
suggest  any  disturbing  thought. 

"  You  have  not  found  a  position  yet,"  she  said  with 
some  hesitation. 

"No,"  he  answered  quickly;  "but  I  cannot  tell  you 
how  happy  I  am  to  get  out  of  that  broker's  office.  It 
has  been  a  weight  off  of  my  shoulders.  After  next 
week,  when  the  election  is  over,  I  shall  look  about  me." 

"  What  a  pleasant  wedding  this  is  ! "  said  Katherine, 
observing  the  happy  faces,  and  realizing  suddenly  that 
the  world  is  not  a  wearisome  place,  if  one  can  but  find  a 
corner  of  it  filled  with  the  sweetness  of  friendship  and 
kind  thoughts. 

"  Ah,  yes,  it  is  pleasant,"  replied  John  with  a  little 
sigh,  "  and  the  bride  and  groom  have  much  happiness  in 
store  for  them,  I  think." 

"It  is  one  of  the  marriages  made  in  heaven,  is  it 
not  ?  "  cried  Katherine  with  something  like  a  tremble 
in  her  voice.  "  There  are  such  marriages,  Parsifal,  but 
it  seems  difficult  to  realize  it  sometimes." 

John's  eyes  rested  sympathetically  on  the  sweet  face 
beside  him  for  a  moment,  and  during  that  moment  he 
seemed  to  see,  as  in  a  vision,  the  future  which  might 
have  been,  if  another  marriage,  which  surely  would  have 
been  made  in  heaven,  could  have  come  about.  Was 
there  any  provision  in  another  existence  for  the  cement- 
ing of  those  unions  which  might  have  grown  so  fruitful 


286  WHICH  WINS 

of  good  in  this  ?  he  thought.  His  heart  leaped  at  the 
suggestion,  and  touching  Katherine's  white  fingers,  as 
though  his  hand  dared  not  close  over  them,  he  said,  — 

"  Perhaps,  after  all,  the  outward  union  is  not  every- 
thing, Katherine;  there  may  be  more  real  satisfaction 
in  the  union  of  interest,  sympathy,  and  friendship  than 
in  many  marriages." 

John's  eyes  sought  Katherine's  as  he  spoke,  forgetting 
for  an  instant  what  he  was  always  so  careful  to  remem- 
ber, that  she  was  Ward's  wife,  and  in  the  glance  she 
returned  him,  it  seemed  that  she  also  had  forgotten  the 
fact,  so  that  for  a  single  moment  perhaps  in  a  lifetime 
they  were  free  and  belonged  to  each  other.  They  sat 
thus  silent  for  a  time,  withheld  from  conversation  per- 
haps by  a  subtle  fear  of  saying  something  which  might 
remind  them  of  their  bonds,  and  destroy  the  odd,  unreal 
happiness  they  felt,  which  must  have  such  a  very  short 
duration  at  best. 

"  Parsifal,"  said  Katherine  after  a  while,  as  Kose  came 
to  her  with  a  cup  of  tea,  "  you  will  be  surprised  when  I 
tell  you  what  I  have  done.  I  have  written  a  song  for 
your  people's  movement,  and  I  want  to  go  to  that  big 
meeting  advertised  to-morrow  night,  and  sing  it." 

"  Why,  that  would  be  magnificent ! "  cried  John  with 
great  delight,  "but  what  would  Ward  think  of  such  a 
performance  as  that?  Besides,  it  would  get  into  the 
papers.  I  am  afraid  it  would  never  do.  You  would 
have  trouble  about  it,"  he  added  doubtfully. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Katherine,  "  I  shall  do  it.  Kose  will 
go  with  me,  and  no  one  will  recognize  me.  I  shall  wear 
an  old  dress,  and  appear  as  an  obscure  musical  crank,  for 
whose  idiosyncrasies  no  one  is  responsible.  But  I  want 
to  sing  it  myself.  You  can  simply  announce  that  a  lady 
musician,  who  has  written  the  song,  wishes  to  sing  it, 
and  I  shall  remain  entirely  unsuspected." 


KATHERINE  GROWS  DARING  287 

John's  doubts  as  to  the  wisdom  of  the  performance 
were  decided,  but  finding  Eose  emphatic  in  Katherine's 
favor,  and  himself  in  an  insignificant  minority,  he  yielded 
to  such  pleasant  insistence,  and  the  arrangement  was 
made. 

Meanwhile  the  bride  and  groom  were  saying  good- 
night. They  were  going  to  spend  the  next  day  at  some 
springs  in  the  neighborhood ;  and  though  their  wedding- 
trip  was  short,  it  should  be  glorious,  Maggie  said,  and 
not  marred  by  the  -inadequacies  of  any  second-class 
hotel.  So  the  rice  and  slippers  were  thrown  after  them, 
and  John  had  the  felicity  of  walking  home  with  Kath- 
erine,  for  she  had  not  ordered  the  carriage. 

Was  it  not  delightful,  that  walk  through  the  quiet 
streets  in  the  moonlight !  John  thought  of  those  nights 
in  former  years  on  the  prairie,  and  the  face  which  always 
peeped  from  the  fleecy  clouds  with  my  lady  moon. 
Which  was  nearer,  he  thought,  as  he  glanced  down  at  the 
beautiful  countenance  beside  him,  this  face,  or  that  ? 
And  which  is  more  melancholy,  the  dream  which  flies 
ever  before  one,  with  no  suggestion  of  reality,  or  the 
realization  which  leaves  unfulfilled  the  most  longed-for 
element  of  our  fancy  ? 


288  WHICH  WINS 


CHAPTER  XXXII 

A   LABOR    UNION    MEETING 

IT  was  a  cold,  rainy  evening  when  Katherine,  Kose,  and 
John  started  for  the  Labor  Union  meeting.  It  was  a 
mass  meeting,  held  in  one  of  the  large  halls  of  the  town, 
and  it  promised  to  be  unusually  well  attended  in  spite  of 
the  rain,  owing  to  the  interest  felt  in  the  people's  ticket. 
Katherine  experienced  with  deep  pleasure  the  sensation  of 
being  one  of  a  throng  of  men  and  women  united  by 
strong  purpose  and  warm  enthusiasm.  It  was  the  first 
time  she  had  ever  breathed  such  an  atmosphere,  and  she 
felt  its  tonic.  The  meeting  was  far  from  being  a  fash- 
ionable assembly.  Many  of  those  present  were  workers 
in  one  way  or  another,  all  of  them  had  suffered  from  the 
inequalities  of  fortune,  and  showed  the  traces  of  that 
suffering  in  their  thoughtful  eyes  and  compressed  lips. 
As  Katherine  cast  her  eyes  over  the  sea  of  faces,  she  was 
almost  startled  by  the  intensity  mirrored  there,  and  it 
seemed  as  her  gaze  passed  from  face  to  face  as  though 
she  could  read  the  life  histories  which  had  brought 
them  finally  to  this  meeting,  and  the  determination 
which  lay  behind  it. 

The  assembly  had  been  called  to  order,  and  the  list  of 
speakers  read,  before  John's  party  entered  the  hall,  and 
the  audience  was  already  on  the  qui  vive  for  the  treat  in 
preparation.  Upon  one  side  of  the  wall  hung  a  huge 
placard  apparently  just  printed,  upon  which  appeared 
the  words,  "  Land  products  are  lower  than  they  have 
been  in  a  hundred  years  the  globe  over.  Debts  are 


A  SUGGESTIVE  FUNERAL  289 

greater  than  they  have  been  in  a  hundred  years  the 
globe  over.  Money  is  higher  than  it  has  been  in  a  hun- 
dred years  the  globe  over,  and  each  of  these  statements 
is  true  of  our  country.  The  effect  of  these  conditions 
upon  the  country  and  upon  individuals  is  ruin.  The 
remedy  lies  with  the  people." 

Many  eyes  besides  Katherine's  sought  the  placard  and 
pondered  its  statements,  and  presently,  after  various  for- 
malities had  been  gone  through  with,  cries  for  the  speak- 
ers began  to  be  heard.  As  she  looked  over  the  assembly 
Katherine  fancied  she  could  identify  the  men  who  burned 
most  eagerly  for  an  opportunity  to  voice  their  sentiments, 
and  she  watched  with  deep  interest  the  countenances  of 
the  leading  men  in  the  movement  whom  John  pointed 
out  to  her. 

There  were  cries  for  "  Thurston  ! "  "  Barker ! "  and 
several  others,  but  the  voices  finally  joined  in  a  general 
yell  for  "  Burnham  ! "  and  a  painfully  homely  man  with 
a  curious  shambling  gait  and  wonderfully  bright  eyes 
came  forward.  He  stood  smiling  at  the  assembly  for  a 
moment,  and  Katherine  could  not  but  notice  the  full  lips 
of  his  decidedly  Kabelaisian  mouth,  which,  in  contrast 
with  his  remarkable  eyes,  formed  a  striking  physiognomy. 

"  I  ain't  anyways  in  a  hurry,  ye  see,"  he  began  still 
smiling  after  a  moment ;  "  I  know  ye're  waitin'  on  me." 

The  expression  with  which  he  spoke  was  so  absurd 
that  the  audience  broke  into  a  laugh  immediately,  and 
this  seemed  to  be  the  inspiration  for  which  the  orator 
had  waited.  Without  hesitating  a  moment  longer,  he 
launched  into  a  discourse,  the  equal  of  which  Katherine 
had  never  heard  for  many  qualities  lacking  frequently 
in  more  profound  and  intellectual  orations.  There  was 
a  warmth  sometimes  descending  to  coarseness  in  the 
speaker's  language,  but  the  audience  roared  with  laughter, 
or  hung  breathless  upon  his  lips,  by  turns,  as  he  painted 


290  WHICH  WINS 

some  pathetic  incident,  or  drew  in  vivid  terms  the  con- 
trasts and  striking  inconsistencies  of  what  he  named  "  our 
truthless  times."  The  peroration  with  which  he  finished 
brought  down  the  house. 

"  My  friends,"  he  said,  "I  ain't  exactly  murderous  in 
my  tastes,  but  I  want  to  go  to  a  funeral.  'Tain't  that  I 
enjoy  funerals,  for  I  will  confess  there's  some  things  I'd 
rather  do  than  go  to  a  funeral,  but  this  funeral  has  a 
peculiar  interest.  We  all  want  to  be  there,  and  we'd  do 
the  mourning  in  great  shape,  set  out  a  collation  an'  have 
a  wake  that  ud  raise  the  dead  most  anywheres,  I  reckon. 
This  funeral  I'm  talkin'  about  is  the  obsequies  of  a 
monstrosity  that's  been  troublin'  the  country  a  good 
many  years.  It's  a  two-headed  monstrosity  that  done 
some  good  in  its  day,  but  that's  entirely  wore  out,  ain't 
got  a  tooth  in  its  old  jaws,  an'  goes  round  a-mumblin'  an' 
a-mawin'  'bout  things  that  don't  concern  no  one  but  old 
women  a-settin'  in  the  corners,  an'  scarecrows  a-grinnin' 
in  the  fields.  One  side  o'  this  here  old  fraud  wears  a 
bloody  shirt,  an'  t'other  is  rigged  out  in  a  English  flag, 
an'  the  hull  combination's  called  the  Democratic-Repub- 
lican party,  an',  my  friends,  it's  deader  than  a  door-nail. 
I'm  tired  seein'  it  layin'  round  corruptin'  the  atmosphere, 
an'  I  want  to  be  one  o'  the  fellers  to  bury  it.  I  tell  ye, 
boys,  I'd  like  to  dig  a  big  hole  an'  put  it  in  deep,  an' 
the  way  to  do  would  be  to  bury  it  face  downwards,  with 
its  paws  out,  so  it  won't  have  no  trouble  a-grubbin'  its 
way  to  the  place  where  it  belongs." 

The  laughter  over  Burnham's  speech  had  scarcely  sub- 
sided before  another  man  was  on  his  feet,  and  it  was 
evident  immediately  to  which  side  he  belonged. 

"  Ladies  and  gentlemen,  brothers  and  sisters  in  our 
great  cause,"  he  began  in  a  deep,  mellow  voice  with  a 
solemn  ring  to  it,  which  made  one  feel  as  if  the  end 
of  all  things  were  coming ;  "  I  appreciate  the  humor  of 


A  DANGEROUS  ORATOR  291 

brother  Burnham's  remarks  as  much  as  any  one  present, 
but  I  nevertheless  feel  impelled  to  recall  to  you  that 
this  is  no  time  for  laughter.  There  are  burning  questions 
before  us,  as  you  may  be  reminded  by  reading  the  pla- 
card on  the  wall  over  yonder,  and  they  are  questions  that 
demand  an  immediate  solution.  We  cannot  wait  to" 
ponder  our  answer  very  long,  my  friends,  for  while  we 
wait,  we  are  being  enslaved.  You  can  hardly  take  up  a 
newspaper  without  reading  of  the  organization  of  new 
trusts.  Syndicates  are  forming  every  day  which  render 
honest  labor  and  personal  enterprise  impossible.  There 
are  twenty  billions  of  foreign  capital  in  the  country  upon 
which  the  people  must  pay  interest  with  the  sweat  of 
their  brows  —  bloody  sweat  sometimes  —  and  it  is  in- 
creasing every  day.  It  is  no  longer  possible  for  the 
laborer  to  own  his  spot  of  ground,  and  his  cottage,  nor 
to  go  west  upon  a  farm  of  Uncle  Sam's,  providing,  when 
driven  from  the  cities  by  the  press  of  injurious  competi- 
tion ;  for  the  greed  of  the  land-grabbers  and  monopolists 
has  made  free  land  a  thing  of  the  past  so  idyllic  in  com- 
parison with  the  present,  that  its  recollection  already 
seems  a  vestige  of  Arcadia  or  fairy-land. 

"The  cry  of  the  oppressed  goes  up  to  heaven  from 
every  side,  and  will  you  listen  to  it  ?  Will  you  stretch 
out  a  helping  hand  to  succor  those  who  are  lying  crushed 
under  the  iron  heel  of  monopoly  ?  I  would  like  to  paint 
to  you  the  fate  of  the  toilers,  the  slaves  whose  every 
moment  snatched  from  sleep  and  food  is  seized  by  the 
greedy  money  power  and  turned  to  its  own  aggrandize- 
ment. I  would  like  to  make  you  see  their  sordid  lives, 
maimed  and  dwarfed  from  the  moment  they  breathe,  by 
the  curse  of  poverty ;  the  children  forced  half-clad  into 
the  streets  when  scarcely  more  than  babes,  to  earn  that 
which  will  keep  them  from  being  the  prey  of  death,  the 
young  men  and  women  sinking  into  crime,  because  they 


292  WHICH  WINS 

weary  of  the  struggle  for  a  mere  existence,  a  struggle 
endless  and  hopeless.  I  would  paint  you  the  entire 
human  being,  treated  from  the  beginning  as  though  life 
were  a  crime  to  all  those  who  do  not  meet  it  with  money, 
to  all  those  whom  circumstance,  accident,  has  not  sur- 
rounded by  the  glamour  which  the  possession  of  lucre 
gives,  lucre,  that  magic  thing,  soul-dwarfing  to  those  who 
have  it  as  to  those  who  long  for  it  in  agony. 

"  I  would  like  to  take  you  over  to  Argentine,  my 
friends,  and  introduce  you  to  the  Smelter,  where  you 
may  see  men  working  twelve  hours  a  day,  seven  days  in 
the  week,  for  the  accumulation  of  millions  in  which 
they  can  have  no  share,  to  provide  others  with  the 
means  to  purchase  knowledge,  luxury,  refinement,  from 
which  they  are  debarred  by  no  decree  of  God,  but  by  the 
successful  robbery  of  man ! 

"  I  would  like  to  take  you  to  the  coal-mines,  of  which 
you  have  heard  so  much  recently,  and  sjiow  you  men  in 
the  bowels  of  the  earth,  deprived  forever  of  God's  sun- 
shine, and  suffering  the  torture  of  galley-slaves :  for 
what  ?  To  earn  a  pittance  which  does  not  provide  their 
families  with  the  necessaries  of  life. 

"  I  tell  you,  friends,  if  you  do  not  lift  your  hands,  if 
you  do  not  take  measures  which  will  be  efficacious  to 
bring  a  different  set  of  conditions  into  the  world,  the 
oppressed  will  rise  ;  they  will  not  bear  their  slavery  much 
longer ;  their  endurance  has  reached  its  limit ;  and  if 
the  money  power  stubbornly  refuses  to  make  conces- 
sions, stubbornly  continues  to  claim  the  world  as  its 
own,  and  denies  the  rightful  owners,  the  producers,  more 
than  that  subsistence  of  crusts  which  does  not  even  fill 
their  famished  stomachs,  I  tell  you,  friends,  your  streets 
will  suddenly  run  with  gore,  you  will  wade  in  blood  to 
your  knees,  the  world  will  be  bathed  in  it,  and  what  will 
it  be  ?  It  will  be  blue  blood,  the  blood  of  capitalists,  of 


A  SUFFERER  FROM  MONOPOLY  293 

money  kings,  and  it  will  so  enrich  the  world  that  a  race 
of  giants  will  spring  from  soil  thus  saturated  with 
retribution." 

Katherine  shuddered  as  she  listened  to  these  wild 
words.  She  had  never  heard  such  talk  before,  and  she 
found  it  very  shocking.  She  had  no  love  for  capitalists, 
but  she  did  not  dream  of  hearing  them  denounced  in 
such  incendiary  fashion,  and  she  looked  at  John,  expect- 
ing that  he  would  rise  and  say  something  to  destroy  the 
effect  of  this  inflammatory  speech.  John  sat  quietly  by 
her  side,  however,  giving  no  evidence  of  excitement,  and 
no  demonstration  followed  the  speaker's  remarks  except 
the  earnest  murmurs  of  approbation  which  ran  around 
the  audience  at  some  of  his  statements,  and  the  hearty 
applause  which  followed  his  conclusion. 

Katherine  had  been  interested  in  the  attitude  of  a 
young  man  who  sat  beside  her,  and  who  had  followed 
the  remarks  of  the  last  speaker  with  much  excitement. 
His  cheeks  flushed  at  the  orator's  recital  of  the  wrongs 
of  the  workingman,  and  he  clinched  his  hands  at  his 
mention  of  the  sufferings  of  children. 

"  I  work  in  the  Smelter,"  he  said,  nodding  to  her  as 
the  orator  finished.  "  I  know  all  about  that." 

"Why  don't  you  say  something  ?  "  whispered  Kather- 
ine sympathetically.  "  Tell  them  your  experience.  I  am 
sure  it  would  do  good." 

"I  ain't  had  much  experence,"  he  replied  doggedly, 
"not  more'n  lots  of  others.  I  knows  a  mighty  nice  girl, 
an'  I'd  like  ter  git  married,  that's  all ;  but  I  ain't  a-goin' 
to  marry  an'  bring  children  into  the  world  to  be  tramps  ; 
they's  too  many  o'  them  here  now,"  he  added  with  a 
melancholy  shake  of  his  head. 

Katherine  was  conscious  that  some  one  else  was  speak- 
ing, and  turned  away,  anxious  not  to  lose  a  word  of  this 
teaching  which  was  so  novel,  and  she  felt  sure  so  true. 


294  WHICH  WINS 

The  subject  under  discussion  now  was  land  monopoly 
and  the  evils  of  speculation  in  real  estate.  The  land 
should  belong  to  the  State,  the  speaker  said,  and  he 
went  into  a  discussion  of  rents  and  land  values  which 
Katherine  was  not  quite  enough  of  an  economist  to 
follow,  but  from  which  she  drew  at  least  a  keen  concep- 
tion of  the  miseries  of  the  farming  population,  and  the 
wickedness  of  making  "  corners  "  in  land. 

Then  a  thin,  delicate-looking  man  rose.  He  said  he 
was  a  "hireling,"  who  was  supposed  to  have  no  right  to 
ideas  ;  but  he  had  them,  nevertheless,  and  he  wanted  to 
supplement  his  friend's  remarks,  and  show  to  what  an  ex- 
tent the  railroads  of  the  country  are  monopolists,  and 
how  they  draw  interest  on  nine  billions  of  watered  stock 
from  the  necessities  of  the  people.  The  speaker  was  so 
impassioned,  his  pale  face  and  deep  eyes  made  such  an 
impression  of  intense  feeling  upon  Katherine,  that  she 
wondered  the  audience  was  not  more  stirred  at  his  words. 

"  I  should  think  they  would  rise  in  a  body,  go  to  the 
railroad  offices  and  tear  them  down,  or  take  possession 
and  run  them  for  the  people.  That  would  be  best," 
she  whispered  excitedly  to  John  ;  "  why  do  they  listen 
so  coolly  ?  " 

John  smiled  at  her  fervor.  "They  know  it  all,"  he 
said;  "they  have  heard  it  many  times,  and  they  are 
preparing  to  act  upon  it.  Our  people's  ticket  is  a  small 
thing,  Katherine,  but  it  is  significant  of  a  great  deal.  It 
shows  that  a  feeling  is  abroad  in  the  land  which  will 
come  to  the  surface  so  strongly  before  long  that  it  will 
sweep  these  abuses  from  the  face  of  the  earth,  and  do  it 
without  the  blood  our  friend  was  speaking  of.  We'll  do 
it  in  time,"  he  added  with  a  little  deepening  of  the  flush 
upon  his  cheeks ;  "  it  can't  be  staved  off  much  longer." 

At  that  moment  the  pale  young  man  beside  Katherine 
rose  to  his  feet,  and  began  speaking.  "  I  can't  make  a 


THE  HEART  BEATS  UNDER  BLUE  JEANS       295 

speech,"  he  said.  "I  ain't  never  ben  to  one  o'  these 
meetin's  before,  but  I've  read  a  good  many  books,  an'  I 
heard  o'  this  people's  ticket,  an'  I  thought  I'd  like  to 
come  round  an'  see  wot  ye've  got  to  say.  Ye  can't  none 
on  ye  tell  wot  I  ain't  ben  through  in  this  world,  I  guess, 
an'  I  reckon  I've  more  hard  knocks  yet  before  I'm  done  ; 
but  I  jist  want  to  say  that  anything  I  kin  do  to  help  on 
this  here  thing,  I'm  in  fur,  an'  ye  kin  count  on  me  every 
time.  I  was  turned  out  on  the  street  when  I  was  seven 
year  old,  an'  I've  paddled  my  own  canoe  ever  since,  an' 
I  reckon  I  know  most  everything  except  how  to  live  easy 
and  do  nothing  and  that  I  don't  want  to  know.  Only  I 
would  like  to  git  whar  I  could  be  sure  o'  makin'  a  livin' 
that  'ud  support  a  family,  an'  keep  a-doin'  it.  I  don't 
think  it's  exactly  graspin'  in  a  man  to  want  to  be  sure  o' 
the  bread  in  his  mouth  for  himself  an'  her  that  he'd  like 
ter  ask  to  share  it,  an'  it  seems  to  me  kind  o'  hard  that 
after  knockin'  round  fur  nigh  on  to  twenty-five  years,  he 
ain't  nowhars  near  certain  o'  that.  There  is  gals,"  he 
added,  the  flush  on  his  cheeks  deepening,  "  as  would  go 
in  on  onsartainties  an'  marry  a  feller,  but  I  ain't  the  one 
to  let  'em  do  it.  An'  if  thar's  anything  I  could  do  to 
help  things  along  and  hurry  'em  up  a  little,  ye  kin  count 
on  me,  if  it  keeps  me  up  all  night.  I  ain't  any  longin' 
fur  blood,  an\I  don't  want  to  hev  to  wade  in  gore  up  to 
my  knees,"  he  concluded  slowly,  "but  it  riles  a  man 
mighty  bad  to  feel  he  can't  git  nary  one  o'  the  things 
that  makes  it  wuth  while  to  live ;  an'  ef  he  ain't  never 
hed  a  home  to  begin  on,  I  s'pose  he  minds  it  wuss  when 
he  can't  hev  one  to  end  up  on,  specially  if  he  knows  a 
girl  that  'ud  made  it  jist  the  ticket!"  he  concluded 
earnestly. 

John  had  watched  the  young  man  with  sympathy  as 
he  spoke,  and  when  he  sat  down  he  glanced  at  Kather- 
ine.  Her  eyes  were  full  of  tears.  She  entered  readily 


296  WHICH  WINS 

into  the  feelings  of  others,  and  the  simple  love-affair 
which  was  unrolling  its  tragic  pages  in  the  life  suddenly 
revealed  before  her  touched  her  deeply. 

"  He  has  just  begun  to  realize  that  something  can  be 
done,"  said  John,  nodding  at  the  young  fellow  with 
encouragement  and  meaning  in  his  glance,  "  and  the  idea 
that  it  may  be  done  speedily  fires  him,  you  see.  But  he 
won't  wait  for  it,"  he  added,  shaking  his  head  sadly,  "he 
can't ;  he'll  do  as  all  the  rest  do,  marry  her  and  struggle 
on  till  children  come  to  be  turned  out  on  the  world  as  he 
was,  and  repeat  the  story  their  father  learned  before 
them,  of  want,  deprivation,  and  despair." 

"But,  John,"  whispered  Katherine  eagerly,  for  like 
the  young  workman  she  had  just  begun  to  feel  that  some- 
thing might  be  done,  "  how  can  you  speak  so  despair- 
ingly in  an  audience  like  this  ?  Surely,  this  is  only  one 
audience  ;  there  are  thousands  like  it  all  over  the  country, 
and  will  they  do  nothing  ?  I  would  not  be  afraid  of  my 
children's  fate,"  she  added  excitedly ;  "  by  the  time  their 
needs  became  crying,  there  would  be  a  change.  The 
world  can't  go  on  reiterating  lies  and  repeating  wrongs, 
when  most  of  the  people  in  it  have  found  out  how  inhu- 
man they  are,  and  demand  new  life.  That  man  was 
right :  there  will  be  a  change.  Why  don't  you  get  up 
and  say  something,  Parsifal  ?  None  of  them  have  said 
just  the  right  thing  yet ;  they've  left  it  for  you." 

John  smiled  back  at  his  friend  without  much  desire  to 
say  anything,  for  he  had  made  so  many  speeches  lately 
that  he  felt  talked  out,  and  it  seemed  to  him  there  was 
nothing  left  to  add  to  what  he  had  repeated  so  many 
times.  But  as  the  cries  for  "  Thurston  ! "  became  louder, 
he  rose,  and,  making  some  apology  for  saying  over  again 
perhaps  what  they  had  heard  so  many  times,  he  de- 
manded their  attention  for  a  few  moments. 

"  Dear  friends,"   he  began,  "you  have  enumerated  so 


THE  MIRACLE  OP  LOVE  297 

many  elements  in  the  make-up  of  our  wonderful  era, 
to-night,  that  I  feared  there  would  be  nothing  left  for 
me  to  say.  The  oppression  of  the  poor,  the  sufferings  of 
the  laboring  classes,  the  selfishness  and  greed  of  the 
wealthy,  the  dangerous  growth  of  the  money  power,  of 
trusts  and  organized  capital  in  every  way,  all  have  been 
touched  upon,  and  your  eyes  have  been  opened  to  the 
need,  the  crying  need,  of  an  immediate  remedy  against 
all  this,  —  a  remedy  which  will  put  bread  in  the  mouth  of 
the  starving,  enlightenment  in  the  brain  of  the  ignorant, 
and  hope  into  the  heart  of  the  despairing.  But,  my 
friends,  you  have  none  of  you  mentioned  one  element, 
one  striking  tendency  in  this  marvellous,  fearful  age  in 
which  we  live,  an  element  which  impresses  me  con- 
stantly, and  which  is  going  to  point  the  way  toward 
that  solution  for  which  we  are  all  anxiously  looking, 
and  that  element  is  —  love. 

"It  may  not  strike  you  at  first  that  in  an  era  of 
open  selfishness  and  greed  such  as  ours  this  is  upper- 
most, or  even  pronounced,  but  it  is  the  latter  at  least. 
Do  you  realize  that  we  have  never  yet  had  a  golden 
age  ?  That  since  the  world  began,  during  all  the  black 
centuries  which  lie  heaped  behind  us,  oppression  has 
been  dominant,  man  has  beaten,  robbed,  and  murdered 
his  brother,  and  the  world  has  taken  for  granted  that 
it  must  be  so  ?  The  nations  have  acquiesced  in  brutality 
with  no  idea  that  it  would  be  possible  to  maintain  the 
bulwarks  of  civilized  society  without  it. 

"  In  the  patriarchal  age,  which  we  like  to  think  of  as 
one  of  simplicity  and  fraternal  love,  there  was  no  limit 
to  the  power  of  the  strong.  The  husband  and  head  of 
the  family  owned  his  wife  and  children,  and  could  sell 
or  murder  them  as  he  pleased.  In  the  feudal  ages 
violence  was  so  generally  the  rule,  that  none  thought  of 
questioning  it.  The  lord  of  the  manor  beat,  abused,  or 


298  WHICH  WINS 

starved  and  murdered  those  under  his  care,  without 
hindrance  from  any  outward  authority,  or,  at  least,  that 
hindrance  was  offered  so  seldom  and  with  such  difficulty 
that  it  was  of  no  import  to  the  cause  of  humanity. 

"  As  we  follow  down  the  course  of  history,  we  meet 
with  occasional  insurrections,  which  represent  the  recoil 
of  man  against  intolerable  oppression,  but  there  is  no 
meaning  in  them ;  they  never  reveal  the  spirit  of  the 
age.  Even  the  French  Kevolution,  that  great  uprising 
which  has  been  worn  bare  as  an  illustration  of  what 
dangerous  results  are  the  culmination  of  theories  of 
social  equality,  even  that  was  an  ignorant  revolt  which 
only  accomplished  a  small  portion  of  what  it  should 
have  done,  and  then  stopped  short  because  the  age  was 
not  intelligent  enough  to  carry  it  to  the  limit  of  organ- 
ized good. 

"  But  what  do  we  see  about  us  to-day,  my  friends,  in 
the  midst  of  the  despairing  conditions  we  all  know  so 
well,  the  grinding  power  of  life  and  pressure  of  monop- 
oly ?  We  see  a  marvellously  expanding  sympathy  of 
man  for  man,  an  unprecedented  knowledge  of  the  per- 
niciousness  of  a  selfish  system  which  exalts  one  class  to 
the  destruction  of  another,  a  growing  comprehension 
of  widespread  suffering  which  must  be  redressed.  Men 
can  no  longer  starve  unknown;  they  can  no  longer 
suffer  unheard,  and  die  unavenged  and  unpitied.  The 
cry  of  their  agony  has  gone  abroad  and  is  filling  the 
world,  is  sounding  in  the  heavens,  and  this  alone  will 
bring  redress.  It  is  the  spirit  of  love  that  has  made  it 
audible,  made  it  listened  to,  and  the  spirit  of  love  will 
answer  it.  There  is  no  need  to  talk  of  blood,  for  the 
insurrection  which  is  to  come,  and  come  soon,  will  be 
bloodless,  and  will  be  brought  about  by  the  silent  and 
irresistible  power  of  universal  knowledge  of  this  damna- 
ble condition  of  things.  Love  will  make  that  possible, 


KATHERINE'S  SONG  OP  FREEDOM  299 

will  find  the  remedy  for  our  evils,  and  I  am  sure  you 
will  not  call  me  sentimental  when  I  ask  you  to  count  in 
your  enumeration  of  the  signs  of  the  times  this  growth 
of  the  power  of  love." 

John  spoke  with  such  enthusiasm  that  he  carried  his 
audience  with  him,  and,  in  the  midst  of  the  general  good 
feeling  that  prevailed,  he  led  Katherine  forward  and 
presented  her  as  the  author  of  a  song  which  should 
voice  the  new  movement,  and  which  she  wished  to  sing 
to  them. 

Katherine  seated  herself  at  the  piano  and  played  a 
little  prelude,  and  then  standing  erect  and  touching  the 
chords,  sang  the  first  stanza  of  her  people's  anthem, 
asking  the  audience  to  join  in  the  chorus.  The  melody 
was  so  bright  and  ringing  that  those  present  caught  it 
immediately,  and  such  a  volume  of  sound  rolled  forth 
as  Katherine  sang  the  chorus  for  the  second  time,  that 
she  felt  almost  carried  out  of  herself.  She  never  forgot 
the  sensation  of  that  moment.  It  seemed  to  her  she 
was  singing  life  and  liberty,  not  only  into  the  crowd  be- 
fore her,  but  into  herself,  and  as  she  finished  and  turned 
from  the  piano,  the  applause  burst  forth  so  tumultuous 
and  overwhelming  that  she  was  quite  startled  out  of  her 
usual  self-possession.  She  went  back  to  the  piano,  and 
sang  the  "  Star  Spangled  Banner,"  the  whole  audience 
joining  with  her,  and  the  meeting  broke  up,  singing 
with  such  a  wildly  enthusiastic  spirit,  that  John 
declared  if  she  could  only  reach  the  whole  city  as  she 
had  that  audience,  the  people's  ticket  would  be  voted  in 
with  a  rush  that  would  petrify  the  millionnaires. 

The  rain  was  coming  down  in  sheets  as  John  and  his 
friends  left  the  hall,  and  the  trio  had  some  difficulty  in 
making  their  way  home.  Katherine  insisted  that  Rose 
should  spend  the  night  with  her,  and  so  John  went  on 
alone,  feeling  suddenly  with  all  its  force  the  cold  gusts 


300  WHICH  WINS 

which  tore  at  his  overcoat,  and  the  puddles  into  which 
his  feet  sank  at  every  inadvertent  step.  With  Katherine, 
he  had  hardly  been  conscious  of  the  rain;  alone,  he  sud- 
denly became  aware  that  he  was  cold  and  miserable, 
that  he  had  eaten  no  supper,  and  that  a  general  forlorn- 
ness  seemed  to  surround  him,  for  which  he  could  only 
account  by  recognizing  one  by  one  the  physical  dis- 
comforts which  he  usually  ignored  at  all  hazards. 

The  melancholy  speeches  he  had  heard  at  the  meeting 
kept  drifting  through  his  mind.  He  could  not  forget 
the  pale-faced  young  laborer  who  dared  not  marry  his 
sweetheart,  and  the  mellow  voice  of  the  man  who 
expected  to  wade  in  gore  sounded  in  his  ears,  throwing 
an  ominous  tint  over  his  thoughts  and  his  dreams. 

"What  is  life  worth,"  he  thought  bitterly,  as  he 
dropped  to  sleep,  "  if  both  love  and  achievement  are 
denied  us  ?  " 


THE  BEGINNING  OR  THE  END  301 


CHAPTER  XXXIII 

THE    BEGINNING    OR    THE    END? 

THE  excitement  was  over  at  last;  the  election  was 
ended,  and  Ward  was  mayor  of  the  town.  The  people's 
ticket  had  called  forth  a  following  sufficient  to  bring 
upon  it  the  animadversions  of  the  leaders  of  both  the 
great  parties,  but  its  nominees  were,  of  course,  defeated, 
and  John  was  more  than  defeated.  The  excitement 
and  strain  under  which  he  had  labored  for  the  past  few 
weeks  had  exhausted  his  strength;  the  shock  of  his 
interview  with  Ward  had  told  upon  him  more  than  he 
would  have  been  willing  to  confess ;  and  a  severance  so 
rude  of  a  connection  founded  upon  the  relations  and 
friendship  of  early  years  carried  with  it,  of  necessity, 
something  deeply  painful  to  one  of  John's  tempera- 
ment. The  last  day  or  two  of  the  campaign  found  him 
so  ill  that  he  was  only  able  by  sheer  force  of  will  to 
keep  from  sinking  under  the  strange  lassitude  which 
oppressed  him,  and  when  it  was  all  over,  and  the  re- 
sult made  public,  John  succumbed  to  a  severe  attack 
of  pneumonia. 

No  one  supposed  that  his  illness  was  dangerous,  and 
John  was  principally  annoyed  because,  having  been 
without  a  position  for  the  past  few  weeks,  he  felt  the 
need  of  immediate  activity.  Still  he  did  not  recover 
from  the  attack  as  his  physician  expected,  and  one 
morning  the  latter  gentleman  was  surprised  to  find  his 
patient  much  worse.  He  came  out  of  John's  room 
looking  anxious,  for  John  was  a  friend  of  the  doctor, 


302  WHICH  WINS 

who  was  much  interested  in  his  character  as  well  as 
his  aspirations. 

"  Has  Mr.  Thurston  any  trouble  weighing  upon  him  ?  " 
he  asked  Watson  as  he  drew  on  his  gloves  with  a 
troubled  air. 

"  Wai,"  replied  Watson,  "  he  ain't  much  to  make 
life  cheerful  or  give  him  a  longin'  ter  live,  I  do  allow. 
That  thar  broker's  office  hev  weighed  on  him  awful,  an' 
he  ain't  never  got  over  his  mother's  death;  he  allays 
thought  he  wor  to  blame  fur  it  somehow." 

"Didn't  he  have  some  trouble  with  Mr.  Ward  re- 
cently ? "  asked  the  doctor  as  he  tucked  the  robe  in 
carefully  about  his  feet. 

Watson  muttered  something  decidedly  wicked  before 
answering.  "Ward  hed  a  row  with  him"  he  replied 
earnestly.  "  He  turned  him  off  'cause  Thurston  were 
on  the  people's  ticket,  an'  it  made  his  etarnal  highness 
mad  to  think  he  warn't  a-goin'  to  vote  fur  him  fur 
mayor." 

The  doctor  looked  serious.  "I  didn't  feel  alarmed 
about  Mr.  Thurston  before,"  he  said,  "  but  he  seems  to 
have  no  recuperative  power.  I  can't  account  for  it  with 
his  physique,  unless  he  has  been  under  a  strain  which 
has  exhausted  his  vitality ; "  and  chirruping  to  his  horse, 
he  drove  off  with  a  thoughtful  countenance. 

Watson  stood  staring  after  the  doctor  until  his  buggy 
was  lost  in  a  turning  of  the  street.  It  had  never  oc- 
curred to  him  that  John  could  die.  He  had  grown  so 
accustomed  to  his  gentle  sympathy  and  unostentatious 
aid  that  it  seemed  as  if  they  had  always  been  together, 
and  should  never  be  separated.  Watson  knew  well 
how  hard  and  disappointing  John's  life  had  been,  and 
how  deeply  he  had  grieved  over  his  mother's  death ;  but 
John  was  usually  cheerful  and  uncomplaining  and  talked 
little  of  himself,  so  that  even  Watson  had  not  perceived 


A  DESPAIR  WHICH  KILLS  303 

that  he  had  grown  hopeless,  and  that  the  unceasing 
contemplation  of  other  people's  misery  with  "  no  let-up 
on  his  own,"  as  Watson  phrased  it,  had  eaten  his 
strength  away.  John  did  not  realize,  perhaps,  how 
little  life  meant  to  him  in  those  latter  days  ;  and  when 
Watson  came  into  his  room  with  a  lugubrious  counte- 
nance and  asked  him  if  he  thought  "there  warn't  no 
use  in  tryin'  ter  git  well,"  he  smiled  with  that  instant 
perception  of  the  absurdity  of  hypochondria  and  its 
recognition,  which  is  the  instinctive  concomitant  of  a 
healthy  mind. 

"Why,  Watson,"  he  said,  "I'm  afraid  that  hasn't 
much  to  do  with  pneumonia  or  convalescing.  I  don't 
suppose  I  should  get  well  any  faster  if  I  had  a  million 
dollars  to  win  by  recovery." 

"  Don't  you  believe  it,"  cried  Watson  eagerly ;  "  ye 
need  ter  get  cheered  up  in  yer  mind,  an'  that'll  cheer 
yer  body  up,  I  reckon.  I'm  a-goin'  to  send  fur  Mrs. 
Ward,"  he  added  ;  "  she  allays  knows  wot  ter  do." 

Katherine,  meanwhile,  was  shocked  to  learn  of  John's 
condition,  and  lost  no  time  in  hastening  to  his  side. 
For  several  days  she  was  hardly  absent  from  the  sick- 
room, though  Ward  stormed  angrily  at  her  absorption 
in  the  condition  of  a  shiftless,  impractical  crank,  as  he 
chose  to  designate  his  former  friend. 

John  grew  steadily  worse,  however,  and  Katherine  felt 
that  humanity,  if  nothing  more,  required  that  she  should 
not  hesitate  in  soothing  the  last  hours  of  one  who  had 
always  been  willing  to  give  himself  for  others.  Those 
quiet  days  of  illness  seemed  very  strange  to  John,  and 
he  looked  at  Katherine  so  oddly  sometimes  that  she 
thought  his  mind  must  be  wandering.  But  alas  !  his 
thoughts  were  singularly  clear  at  such  moments  ;  and 
as  his  glance  rested  on  the  fair  face  so  near  him,  his 
fancy  went  back  with  torturing  distinctness  over  all 
the  facts  of  their  friendship  and  connection. 


304  WHICH  WINS 

This  woman  had  been  for  years  the  ideal  of  his  waking 
perception  and  of  his  dreams,  yet  he  had  scarcely  passed 
an  hour  alone  with  her,  had  hardly  dared  to  clasp  her 
soft,  white  hand ;  and  now  in  his  dying  hour  she  was 
his.  She  bent  over  him  with  tender  solicitude,  her 
hands  smoothed  his  hair,  rested  gently  on  his  brow; 
her  face  was  often  so  near  his  own  that  his  eyes  gazed 
far  down  into  the  depths  of  hers  —  those  soul-depths 
where  the  secret  thoughts  hide  shrinking  from  the 
insolent  recognition  of  strangers.  And  John  felt  that 
recovery  meant  an  entire  absence  of  this  sweet  presence. 
She  belonged  to  another,  and  however  superficial  her 
relation  with  that  other  might  be,  John  knew  that  as 
far  as  this  world  was  concerned,  she  was  lost  to  him. 
He  had  never  stopped  to  think  before  how  much  that 
meant,  but  then  he  had  never  fancied  the  delight  of  such 
gentle  ministrations.  As  he  lay  there  watching  her, 
he  speculated  sometimes  whether  death  might  not  bring 
him  nearer  to  her  than  life. 

"My  soul  could  not  hurt  her  surely,"  his  thoughts 
ran  on  feverishly  ;  "  I  could  haunt  her,  think  my 
thoughts  to  her,  quite  unsuspected  by  any  one,  even 
herself,  whereas  in  life  I  must  never  see  her  again.  If 
I  recover,  I  must  avoid  her.  I  could  never  bear  to  meet 
her  with  the  conventional  barrier  that  must  always  rise 
between  us." 

Then  his  mind  would  go  back  to  the  broker's  office, 
and  his  distress  at  poor  Kobinson's  misfortunes,  to  his 
mother's  death,  and  Ward's  treachery ;  and  always  when 
these  thoughts  came  he  lost  control  of  himself,  and 
muttered  words  which  startled  Katherine  sadly.  Some- 
times, in  the  midst  of  a  despairing  exclamation,  he 
would  fix  his  glittering  eyes  upon  her  face,  and  stop 
suddenly,  crying,  "  But  you  must  not  know  that, 
Katherine,  you  must  not  know!"  and  as  consciousness 


PARSIFAL'S   DECISION  305 

of  her  presence  brought  his  fancy  into  a  saner  channel, 
the  other  train  of  thought  was  resumed,  and  he  lay 
gazing  into  the  eyes  before  him,  and  speculated  again 
of  death  as  of  union  with  her. 

Katherine  learned  more  of  Parsifal's  life  in  those  few 
days  than  she  could  have  discovered  in  years  of  ordinary 
intercourse.  Sympathy  enabled  her  to  pierce  the  thin 
veil  of  his  thoughts,  and  surmise  the  remainder  of  what 
he  half  betrayed,  while  the  broken  words  let  fall  by 
Maggie  and  innocent  Rose  enabled  her  to  piece  together 
into  a  noble  whole  the  fragments  of  the  unselfish  exist- 
ence which  was  breathing  itself  out  before  her.  To 
Watson,  John  had  been  a  thoughtful,  sympathetic  friend ; 
to  Maggie,  like  a  helpful  elder  brother;  while  in  the 
warm,  girlish  heart  of  Eose,  he  had  roused  that  ideal, 
which  is  only  possible  once  to  the  fresh,  unspoiled 
imagination  of  a  young  maiden.  It  seemed  to  Kather- 
ine, realizing  all  the  possibilities  of  the  man  before 
her,  that  she  could  not  see  Parsifal  die,  and  she  tried, 
as  she  sat  beside  him,  to  wake  him  to  that  struggle  for 
life  which  physicians  well  know  is  often  the  last  foot- 
hold of  safety  in  the  crisis  of  disease ;  but  she  little 
dreamed  of  the  thoughts  beating  behind  the  feverish 
eyes  which  looked  so  gently  into  hers. 

"  I'm  down,  Katherine,"  he  would  respond ;  "  there's 
no  chance  in  this  practical  world  for  an  idealist  who  is 
down,  and  I  couldn't  stand  it  to  exist  as  a  useless 
nonentity.  I'd  rather  stop  living." 

It  happened  one  day  Katherine  had  been  prevented 
from  filling  her  usual  place  by  John's  bedside,  and  as 
evening  approached,  Rose  came  to  tell  her  that  John 
was  much  worse  and  wanted  to  see  her.  Ward  was  in 
the  drawing-room  when  Rose  appeared. 

"  Katherine  ! "  he  cried,  "  do  you  mean  to  say  you  are 
going  out  again  to-night  to  nurse  that  fellow  ?  " 


306  WHICH  WINS 

"  I  am  going  to  see  Mr.  Thurston,  Stephen,  if  that  is 
what  you  mean,"  replied  Katherine  gently ;  "  he  is  prob- 
ably dying." 

"  Dying  ?  Stuff  and  nonsense  ! "  cried  Ward  more 
furiously  than  before.  "  And  what  is  it  to  you  if  he  is 
dying  ?  Do  you  know  that  you  are  my  wife,  and  have 
no  business  taking  care  of  another  man  ?  " 

"  Stephen,"  said  Katherine,  flushing  deeply,  "  the  man 
was  your  friend,  and  if  he  were  nothing  to  you  or  me 
I  would  not  refuse  his  dying  request  to  see  me." 

Ward's  anger  blinded  him  to  everything  except  the 
jealous  rage  he  felt,  and  had  felt  for  some  time,  at 
Katherine's  evident  sympathy  with  John's  misfortunes, 
and,  as  she  tried  to  pass  between  him  and  the  door,  he 
seized  her  arm. 

"  There's  just  this  about  it,  Mrs.  Ward  !  "  he  cried,  "  if 
you  go  out  of  my  house  to  visit  that  man  to-night,  you 
will  never  enter  it  again  !  " 

Katherine  forcibly  withdrew  her  arm  from  his  detain- 
ing clasp,  and  passed  on  with  Kose,  vouchsafing  no  reply 
to  this  last  insulting  speech. 

One  of  John's  feverish  phrases  had  been  running 
through  her  mind  all  day,  — 

"  0  Ward,  Ward ! "  he  cried,  "  it  was  bad  enough  to 
turn  poor  Robinson  out,  but  to  buy  the  mortgage  on  your 
friend's  farm,  and  betray  him,  that  was  worst  of  all  ! " 

Katherine,  in  spite  of  herself,  had  been  pondering 
those  words  and  their  connection  with  John's  excite- 
ment when  she  told  him  of  Ward's  investment  of  a 
portion  of  her  own  fortune,  and  the  relation  was  mani- 
fest. There  was  something  which  still  escaped  her  about 
the  matter  she  felt  sure ;  she  could  not  unravel  the 
entire  mystery.  Parsifal  kept  repeating  so  often  a 
phrase  about  the  foolishness  of  one  individual  trying  to 
right  eternal  wrongs,  and  that  this  expression  referred 


PARSIFAL'S  EYES  UNCLOSE  307 

in  some  way  to  Ward  and  herself  she  had  no  doubt,  but 
she  could  not  understand  it. 

She  hurried  along  with  Kose,  while  the  torturing 
sequence  of  her  thoughts  went  on  and  on,  and  she  shud- 
dered as  she  pictured  the  reality  of  her  marriage  with 
Ward,  and  the  suffering  they  two  had  helped  to  pour 
into  the  life  of  their  dying  friend.  As  they  reached  the 
house,  Katherine  found  the  front  door  half  open,  and 
they  passed  unannounced  up-stairs  to  John's  room, 
where  the  last  moments  of  their  friend  were  evidently 
passing. 

He  lay  with  his  eyes  closed,  and  Katherine  felt  com- 
forted to  see  how  the  look  of  pain  and  anxiety  had 
disappeared  from  his  features.  As  she  sat  down  beside 
him  and  took  his  hand,  he  pressed  it  gently  and  opened 
his  eyes. 

"  It's  all  right,"  he  said  in  a  whisper  almost  inaudible. 
"  I've  seen  my  mother." 

"  His  mind  wanders,"  murmured  Katherine,  bursting 
into  tears ;  "  he  will  not  know  me  !  " 

John  opened  his  eyes  wide  once  more.  "  Oh,  no  ! " 
he  said  earnestly,  "  dear  Katherine,  I  saw  her !  She 
said  I  did  wrong  to  worry  ;  she  never  blamed  me  for"  — 
he  paused  all  at  once,  the  eyelids  fell,  and  Katherine 
buried  her  head  in  the  pillows  a  moment,  but  soon  raised 
it,  unwilling  to  lose  an  instant  of  this  last  communion 
with  her  departing  friend. 

There  was  something  very  sweet  and  peaceful  about 
this  passing  away,  she  thought ;  if  it  was  death,  it  was 
much  more  restful  than  living  had  been  to  Parsifal,  and 
the  wondrous  significance  of  death  as  an  ushering  into 
another  life  grew  upon  Katherine  as  she  sat  there, 
obliterating  all  the  horror,  all  the  false  prescience  of 
agonized  extinction  which  we  usually  associate  with  the 
birth  of  a  soul  into  its  broader  and  grander  existence. 


308  WHICH  WINS 

Suddenly  the  wan,  pale  face  upon  the  pillow  seemed 
transfigured  with  wondrous  brilliant  life.  Parsifal  raised 
himself  from  the  couch,  his  eyes  fixed  upon  the  empty 
space  before  him. 

"  Wolfram  von  Eschenbach ! "  he  cried,  in  strong, 
clear  tones,  as  if  the  old  knight  stood  greeting  him, 
"  My  master,  can  I  go  with  you  ?  " 

A  moment  he  sat  thus  erect,  and  then,  with  no  fading 
of  the  glory  from  his  face,  it  seemed  to  Katherine,  he  sank 
back  lifeless  upon  the  pillows.  Katherine  laid  her  cheek 
close  to  his  in  that  moment,  with  the  feeling  that  she 
dared  do  it  at  last,  but  with  no  consciousness  of  the  cold 
presence  of  death.  With  the  warmth  and  fire  of  his 
final  words  in  her  memory,  she  could  never  think  of 
Parsifal  as  dead.  There  was  no  suggestion  of  inanition 
or  failing  consciousness  in  the  eager  joy  with  which  he 
recognized  the  knight  of  his  fancy  and  his  dreams. 

But  to  the  others  he  was  dead,  and  with  a  cry  of 
despair  Watson  threw  himself  upon  the  body  of  his 
departed  friend. 

"  I  never  thought  to  lose  ye ! "  he  exclaimed  with 
simple  pathos,  "  an'  I'll  not  find  yer  like  agin,  I  know  !  " 

As  to  Katherine,  it  seemed  to  her  as  she  left  the 
death-chamber  as  if  the  harmonies  of  life  had  suddenly 
grown  discordant.  "  I  didn't  know  what  he  was  to  me 
until  he  died,"  she  said  sorrowfully.  "  Now  I  feel  that 
my  ideals  have  disappeared  in  some  way." 

Katherine  thought  often  of  the  strange  vision  which 
had  filled  the  dying  moments  of  her  friend,  and  though 
she  spoke  of  it  as  an  illusion,  she  asked  herself  some- 
times if  it  really  were  that  alone.  "  Could  it  not  be," 
she  pondered,  "  that  the  great  powers  who  govern  the 
visible  and  invisible  world  permit  our  ruling  fancies  to 
take  form  and  shape  in  the  dying  hour,  and  usher  us 
into  the  realm  which  must  be  but  a  lonely  void  to  un- 


A  LOVE   BEYOND  DEATH  309 

tutored  eyes  ?  Or  could  the  old  knight  really  have 
come  down  to  earth  once  more  ? "  Sad  questionings 
which  brought  no  solace  to  Katherine's  melancholy 
thoughts,  and  could  not  make  the  absence  of  her  friend 
more  tolerable. 

In  those  first  days  the  loss  of  that  one  friend  seemed 
almost  unendurable.  There  was  no  sense  of  the  spiritual 
nearness  of  the  departed  one  to  console  her;  and  Kath- 
erine  felt  that  if  Parsifal  still  lived,  he  had  gone  very  far 
away  from  the  world  where  he  had  known  little  but 
suffering. 

"  And  I  wouldn't  have  had  him  stay  here,"  she  said 
often  with  a  sob ;  "  but,  oh,  if  I  could  only  have  known 
him  better  while  he  lived ! " 


310  WHICH  WINS 


CHAPTER  XXXIV 

A   FITTING   CONCLUSION 

AFTER  John's  death  there  was  nothing  to  keep 
Katherine  in  Kansas  City.  Her  husband  had  forbidden 
her  return  to  his  house,  and  though  she  knew  well  that 
after  his  anger  had  passed  he  would  have  no  intention 
of  enforcing  such  a  command,  and  would  expect  her  as 
a  matter  of  course  to  come  and  "make  up,"  especially 
as  the  annoying  cause  of  their  contention  was  safely 
removed  to  another  world,  she  felt  that  such  a  course 
was  impossible.  John's  death  had  opened  her  eyes 
more  widely  than  ever  to  her  husband's  character,  and, 
understanding  him  as  she  did  now,  she  knew  that  she 
could  never  again  bear  the  relation  of  wife  to  him.  At 
the  same  time,  he  had  rendered  her  position  in  his 
household  so  irksome  and  intolerable,  that  she  was  glad 
to  seize  the  valid  excuse  he  had  given  her  to  be  freed 
from  its  burden,  and,  taking  Marie  Leifert  with  her,  she 
went  to  New  York,  determined  to  recover  her  fortune  if 
possible,  but  at  any  rate  to  resume  her  former  indepen- 
dent life  as  a  teacher  and  musician. 

One  of  her  first  visits  was  paid  to  Mr.  Allworth,  the 
old  lawyer  who  had  apprised  her  of  the  inheritance  of 
her  fortune,  and  to  whom  she  naturally  turned  for 
advice  in  recovering  it.  She  found  him  unusually  de- 
pressed, and  when  she  explained  to  him  her  marital 
and  financial  difficulties,  he  seemed  greatly  excited. 

"  Mrs.  Ward  !  "  he  exclaimed,  "  there  can  be  no  harm 
now  in  your  hearing  the  truth  about  the  fortune  you 
inherited  so  opportunely.  The  story  I  told  you  in  regard 
to  it  at  the  time  was  purely  fanciful.  The  money  was 


KATHERINE   LEARNS  THE  SECRET  311 

left  you  by  a  romantic  young  fellow  named  Thurston, 
of  whose  death  I  have  just  heard.  He  was  one  of  the 
noblest  men  I  ever  knew  —  but  what  is  the  matter?" 
he  asked  pausing  suddenly,  and  noticing  how  pale 
Katherine  had  grown. 

She  motioned  him  impatiently  to  go  on,  and  he  added, 
"At  the  time  he  made  the  money  over  to  you,  his  expec- 
tations were  good,  and  he  had  no  prospect  of  real  pecu- 
niary suffering  on  account  of  his  action,  though  I  think 
he  would  have  done  the  same  if  it  had  meant  giving  up 
everything,  with  his  temperament.  But  I  learn  to-day 
that  he  has  just  died  in  absolute  poverty,  and  I  hope  he 
never  knew  the  results  of  his  self-sacrifice  in  your  case." 

"  He  did  know  !  "  cried  Katherine,  sobbing  ;  "  he  knew 
all  about  it !  "  And  as  the  meaning  of  Parsifal's  constant 
repetition  of  that  phrase  about  trying  to  right  eternal 
wrongs,  flashed  upon  her,  she  wished,  oh,  so  earnestly, 
that  he  had  never  learned  from  her  the  heights  and 
depths  of  Ward's  perfidy  and  selfishness. 

"If  I  could  only  have  borne  my  burden  without 
speaking  of  it,  he  would  have  suffered  so  much  less  ! " 
she  said  sorrowfully,  as  she  told  Mr.  Allworth  the  story 
of  Parsifal's  sad  life.  Her  desire  to  recover  her  fortune 
lessened  visibly  as  she  talked  to  the  old  lawyer,  though 
the  latter  was  very  determined  to  leave  no  stone  un- 
turned to  place  it  in  the  rightful  hands. 

"  You  owe  it  to  Mr.  Thurston,  Mrs.  Ward,"  he  said, 
"  to  deprive  your  husband  of  your  fortune,  if  he  is  the 
man  he  has  shown  himself  to  be.  And  he  will  find  con- 
siderable difficulty  in  keeping  it." 

Meanwhile  how  did  Ward  feel  over  the  death  of  his 
friend  and  the  loss  of  his  beautiful  wife  ?  Was  there 
any  heart-break  in  the  sensations  with  which  he  read  the 
lines  of  farewell  she  sent  him  after  her  departure  for 
New  York,  and  in  which  she  upbraided  him  gently  for 
his  constant  injustice  to  her  ?  Not  in  the  least.  By  the 


312  WHICH  WINS 

act  of  leaving  Ward's  elegant  mansion  and  aristocratic 
surroundings,  Katherine  became  a  crank  and  a  fool  in 
her  husband's  eyes,  and  he  was  too  sensible  a  man  to 
mourn  the  absence  of  such  a  disturbing  element  from 
his  environment. 

The  rising  regrets  which  rose  from  the  remnants  of 
his  passion  for  her  were  soon  stifled  in  the  excitement 
of  a  "  new  deal "  he  was  making,  and  he  congratulated 
himself  that  with  his  rapidly  increasing  wealth  and 
political  prominence  it  would  be  a  very  easy  matter  for 
him  to  obtain  a  divorce  from  Katherine,  and  win  a  more 
docile  wife,  not  dominated  by  troublesome  ideals. 

As  he  sat  in  the  club-room  recently,  a  friend  was 
laughing  with  him  about  his  speculations. 

"  Oh,  I'm  into  everything,"  replied  Ward  easily.  "  I've 
just  bought  out  Hark  &  Norcross,  one  of  the  biggest 
coal-firms  in  town." 

"  You  don't  say  so  ?  "  cried  his  friend  in  surprise. 
"  Has  Mr.  Norcross  gone  entirely  out  of  the  business  ?  " 

"  Oh,  not  entirely,"  replied  Ward,  opening  and  closing 
his  palm  as  if  delighted  in  the  sensation  of  getting  he 
received  thereby,  "  but  I  own  him,  I  own  'em  all ;  I'll 
own  the  town  pretty  soon,  if  you  don't  look  out ! "  he 
added  chuckling,  as  if  he  thought  it  intensely  amusing 
to  deprive  others  of  independence. 

"  I  used  to  think  coal-dealers  were  an  awfully  unprin- 
cipled set  of  people,"  he  continued,  "but  I've  changed 
my  mind  entirely.  I'm  sure  they  never  overcharge  nor 
oppress  their  employes.  Oh,  no  !  they're  the  most  moral 
creatures  in  the  world  !  Ha !  ha !  " 

And  Ward  laughed  a  laugh  in  which  there  was  no 
hollowness,  no  bitterness.  Stephen  Ward,  capitalist,  had 
every  reason  to  be  satisfied  with  himself,  and  with  the 
universe  as  far  as  he  knew  it. 


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IE,   VUlUL    HOW  TO  CARE  FOR  IT 


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of  all  human  endowments.  We  all  know  how  the 
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N  HOUR  WITH  * 
**  DELSARTE 


A 
STUDY 


Illustrated  by  ROSA   MUELLEF 
nd  MARIAN  MORGAN  REYNOLDS,' 


By  ANNA   MORGAN, 
of  the  Chicago  Conservatory. 

SPRAGUB 
.  irithfull 
page  figure  illustrat 

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I  ideas  of  Delsarte  in  words  which  all 
may  understand.  It  is  explicit  and 
comprehensible.  No  one  can  read  this  book  or  i 
study  its  twenty-two  graceful  and  graphic) 
illustrations  without  perceiving  the  possibility/ 
of  adding  strength  and  expression  to  gestures^. 
and  movements,  as  well  as  simplicity  and 
ease.  Mr.  Turveydrop  went  through  life  with 
universal  approval,  simply  by  his  admirable 
•deportment.'  Every  young  person  may 
profitably  take  a  hint  from  his  success,  and  this 
book  will  be  found  invaluable  as  an  in- 
structor."—  Woman's  Journal,  Boston. 


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